


The Planner

by Stickaroo



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Confrontations, F/F, Fluff, Homophobia, Minor Injuries, Romance, Stakeout
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-10
Updated: 2017-02-24
Packaged: 2018-08-21 18:52:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 29,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8256652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stickaroo/pseuds/Stickaroo
Summary: The hunt has been completed. The ring is on her finger, now let the wedding planning begin. That is if the revenants don't get in the way first. The is set around 18 months after the end of season 1. Ties into The Hunt for Haught. You don't have to have read it but it won't kill you if you do.





	1. Jumped up Rodeo Clown

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, so after the shamazeballs comments I got on the last lot of shizz I posted I thought I would continue. This has been buzzing around my head for the last day or two. 
> 
> Hope you like. 
> 
> Sorry for any errors, shite spelling or poor grammar. 
> 
> Would appreciate any comments / criticism and would like to say a mahoosive THANK YOU for taking the time to read this.
> 
> ===========================

As the pounding beats of her heart slowed a sense of euphoria built in the redhead's chest. The glistening ring that adorned her fiance's hand lay gently on her stomach, glinting as the stone caught in the sunlight that filtered through the window. She never thought it would be possible to feel this happy, how wrong could she be. 

Waverly had drifted off into a light sleep with her head buried in the crook of her now fiance's neck, still feeling the effects of the late night and early morning. Warm breath slid down behind Nicole's ear as she lay there on the sofa in a state of utter contentment. 

The sun was waning in the late afternoon sky and the chill in the air had now made way for a cold breeze. Goose bumps rose on the officer's arms as the draft emanating from the chimney made its way across the room. Nicole didn't want to move, she had missed the touch of her girlfriend, her smell, her warmth. Leaving Waverly alone in their warm bed earlier that morning was torture but she knew that it had to be done, a means to an end and what an amazing end it was.

She had been planning the hunt for months, after picking up a very tipsy Waverly and an incredibly wasted Wynonna from Shorty's one night. That was the night the brunette had confessed her plans for the future, for their future and the seed was sown.

=======

Pulling up outside Shorty's after her third late shift in a row the Officer could hear the hubbub from inside the bar through the open window of the cruiser. Exiting the vehicle, she placed the white stetson on her head covering the braid that was threatening to come undone after a long night and headed into the fray.

Pushing the door open she caught sight of Wynonna, Pool cue in one hand, Champ Hardy's throat in the other pinning him up against the wall behind the table. The bar was pretty much empty other than the Earps, Gus, Champ and his friends.

Waverly was pulling at her elbow whilst mumbling to her sister. 

"Wynonna, Leave it" 

"Say it again 9 seconds, I fuckin' dare you" the anger in Wynonna voice was clear to hear. Pool cue poised to strike. 

"It was 8 seconds, loser. And get your hand off me or I'll.." Champ squirmed as the elder Earp tightened her grip.

Although her shift had finished the Officer was never really off duty and she made her way over to the ruckus in seconds. Waverly had dropped her grip on Wynonna's arm and drifted over to the bar. 

"Wynonna, I think he has had enough," Nicole said calmly but forcefully. The heir released her grip slowly pushing the cowboy as she let go, here eyes never leaving his.

"What's all this about?" Nicole questioned. 

"She's a fuckin psychopath that's what." he spat as he fixed his shirt and began rubbing his neck.

"It's a good job Office Haught arrived when she did or I would have shoved this cue so far up your ass you would have looked like a fuckin' popsicle."

Placing herself between the pair she glanced over at Waverly who was stood with her back flush against the wood, tears forming in her eyes. Wanting to be at her girlfriend's side she quickly diffused the argument. 

"Champ, you're drunk. Go home or I will arrest you for breach of the peace."

"WHAT? She's the mental patient, she's the one who should be arrested, She attacked me."

"The only thing you have is a bruised Ego. Now leave." 

With that, he turned on his heels, grabbed his coat and left with his group of buddies muttering something under his breath as he went. 

Wynonna flipped him the bird as he left and he returned the gesture before escaping out the door.

"Wynonna put the cue down and go grab your coat it's time to go."

Wynonna dropped the would be weapon on the table and hopped up onto the green felt scattering balls in her wake as the redhead made her way over to the bar where the younger Earp still stood, the tears that filled her eyes earlier had now begun to fall. Without hesitation the Officer grabbed the smaller woman and pulled her close in a tight embrace, peppering her head with light kisses. 

"Are you okay?" 

"Yeah, I just wanna go home."

Waverly wobbled in her arms and Nicole could see that she was more than a little buzzed. Moving her arms down to the brunette's hips she gently lifted the smaller woman up to sit one one of the high stools and pushed the chair toward the bar ensuring that she would not fall off. 

"Okay, Baby," pulling back she wiped the tears from her girlfriend's cheeks with the pads of her thumbs, "I'm just going to grab your stuff and Wynonna then we'll head out." 

Placing a kiss on the end of Waverly's nose as she left she headed to the pool table rounded up the heir, bags and coats and headed to the cruiser, depositing the lot on the back seat. The Officer headed back inside to collect Waverly who was still sat on the stool, her legs just long enough to reach the metal pole that skirted the bar. 

Nicole held the door open to the cruiser, helped the brunette into the vehicle and buckled her in. Wynonna was passed out on the back seat, loud snores filled the car. This was the last thing Nicole needed so she slipped into the back and flipped the elder Earp so she was on her side. 

She could see that Waverly was upset. She was quiet and that was never a good sign. Turning the radio on low she put the cruiser into gear and headed out towards home.

"Waves? Are you okay?"

She got no reply. Not wanting the push the subject she placed a reassuring hand on top of her girlfriends and gave it a squeeze as Waverly stared out of the window into the darkness. 

They stayed like that for a while until a quiet voice broke the silence between them.

"He said we would never be truly happy, said I was wasting my time, that I would never have a family, said I was just another fucked up Earp."

Nicole's grip tightened on the wheel, her knuckles turned white on one hand but the other remained softly upon the youngest Earps. The tears began to flow for the second time that night. 

"Waverly Earp, you are not a fuck up, you hear me? Champ is a jealous ass who can't get what he wants so acts like the spoilt child he is and he lashes out."

The brunette's body shook as she sobbed. "I want kids, I want to have the big wedding, to have a home and a dog." she trailed off and the sobs took control of her body. "I want that for us."

"Waves, there is nothing stopping us from having all of that and more. I love you, you know that right?"

Waverly silently nodded.

"Good, then don't let that jumped up rodeo clown make you feel anything but." 

The rest of the drive back to the Homestead hadn't taken long and at some point, Waverly had drifted off. As the car pulled up Wynonna suddenly woke up and sat bolt upright trying to find her bearings. She didn't waste any time and as Nicole opened the door she leapt out and marched to the front door and opened it with a bang. 

Not wanting to wake her girlfriend she gently released the buckle of the belt, placed Waverly's arms around her neck and scooped her up. As quietly as she could she pushed the car door closed with her butt and locked it with the remote she held in her hand. 

The front door was wide open from where Wynonna had burst through it moments before, soft light from the living room illuminated the steps up to the porch and Nicole could see the elder Earp was passed out on the sofa, minus her pants. It was a mystery how she managed to strip so quickly. 

As she walked over the threshold into the home she glanced down at the sleeping woman in her arms. A huge grin broke on her face. 

"Next time we do this will be our wedding night, but hopefully you'll be awake." she whispered before planting a gentle kiss on Waverly's head.

=======

The clock chimed and Nicole was pulled from her daydream. Glancing over she could see that it was 6 o'clock, they needed to get ready as the meal was booked for 8pm. 

"Waves, Baby. We need to get up." the brunette had somehow managed to crawl on top of the Officer and was starfished across her chest. Nicole placed her hands across the sleeping woman's back and shifted into a sitting position. Waverly's head never leaving the crook of her neck. 

"Waves, come on. We have less that an hour before we need to head out..."

"Do we have to?"

"Yep, we do I am afraid."

"But I want to stay right here."

"Okay, but if we do nobody will get to see your surprise"

With that, the brunette's eyes shot open and she was wide awake.  
Glancing down at her hand the ring sparkled in the final rays of sunshine and a giant smile spread across her face. She let out a little giggle as she wiggled her fingers. 

"I can't wait to show everyone. Thank you for the best birthday gift ever. I don't know how I am gonna beat this when your birthday comes."

"Oh, I am pretty sure you will think of something. You are a planner after all."


	2. You're killing me Earp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole and Waverly head out to meet the gang et al for their planned meal and to break the news of the engagement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of a segue chapter.
> 
> Hope you like.
> 
> Thanks again for the kind comments and the kudos. Y'all know how to make a gal feel loved. I honestly love that you take the time out of your day to read this so a big fat Thanks from me to you X. 
> 
> I am sorry for any spelling / grammatical errors. 
> 
> ===========

Nicole sat staring at the petite brunette who was straddling her lap, a beaming grin etched across her face as she admired the recent acquisition that sat upon her ring finger. Brushing the fishtail braid from where it had settled on the smaller woman's shoulder the redhead leant in close and placed a kiss on her fiance's pulse point before moving up her neck towards her ear.

"Waves, we really need to get moving." she whispered as her hands slowly made their way down the brunette's back to rest on her hips.

Waverly arched her back and wrapped her arms around the Officer's neck, wrists crossing at the nape as she leant back, a sudden realisation hit her.

"Shit tickets! I don't have a change of clothes" 

"You're not the only planner Miss Earp, I packed a bag, it's in the bedroom."

"The Bedroom eh?" she giggled as she raised her eyebrow to the woman pinned beneath her.

"You're killing me Earp." retorted the Officer with a wink.

Sliding to the edge of the chair, the brunette still in situ, the Officer rocked backwards to gain momentum and in one swift motion stood up, grabbing Waverly's Butt as not to drop her. 

Instinctively the smaller woman wrapped her legs around Nicole's waist, pulled herself closer and planted a soft kiss on her fiance's lips. Nicole reciprocated and deepened the kiss before pulling back so she could see where she was walking.

Waverly immediately missed the contact and needed more. Moving the auburn locks that lay across the redhead's shoulders, blocking access to her neck she began to pepper the Officers collarbone with light kisses. As they approached the entrance to the bedroom she had moved up to the taller woman's ear lobe and gently bit down, eliciting a deep moan from her lover. 

Unable to restrain herself any longer the redhead stopped in the doorway and pushing her cargo up against the frame pressing wanting lips against the brunettes. Waverly eagerly accepted the contact, biting gently on the Officer's bottom lip briefly before parting her lips to allow their tongues to meet.

"You drive me crazy Waverly Earp," Nicole whispered into the kiss.

"The feeling's mutual Officer Haught" Waverly smiled as she pressed her lips down again. 

Pulling away from the smaller woman Nicole lifted her head to meet the hazel eyes of her fiance.

"As much as it pains me to stop, we're gonna be late if we don't get a move on."

Waverly let out a groan, released her grip and dropped her legs from their position around Nicole's waist. Moving away from the entrance the redhead leant forward and placed her lover down onto the bedroom floor. 

"To be continued?" Waverly quizzed before skipping over to the kit bag that sat on the bed.

"Most definatly."

The Officer stood in the doorway to the bedroom, leaning against the frame she had been pushing the brunette up against minutes before, and watched as the smaller woman loosened her braid. Her hair had been damp when she had tied it in a fishtail earlier that morning causing gentle curls to now fall over her shoulders. She looked stunning, to be fair she could have been wearing a potato sack and still look beautiful in the redhead's eyes. 

It didn't take long for the brunette to finish getting ready. The meal was only at the local Chinese restaurant, nothing fancy. Nicole had wanted to go out of town and to somewhere a bit more upmarket but Waverly loved their Sui Mai and was adamant that that's where she wanted to go. 

She glanced at herself in the mirror and fixed a strand of hair that looked out of place, applied her perfume and announced that she was ready to go. Skipping over to Nicole and taking her hand the pair headed out to of the bedroom, down the hall and into the living room.

"Jeez, it's freezing in here," Waverly announced as she wrapped her arm around her waist. 

Nicole grabbed her coat and handed it to Waverly.

'Sorry Baby, I didn't think it would get this cold."

The chill in the air had increased significantly as the sun receded and the redhead had forgotten to bring Waverly's coat.

"Are you sure?" she raised an eyebrow

The cold wouldn't bother Nicole as much as it would the smaller woman, the brunette liked to be toasty warm whereas the Officer was used to the cold being outside as often as she was. It wouldn't be for long, just until the heat in the Jeep kicked it. 

"Of course"

Waverly took the coat, It swamped her tiny frame and the Office couldn't help but think she looked adorable. 

"Snug as a bug in a rug" Nicole chirped.

Taking her phone from her pocket she took a quick picture, gave the brunette a wink before grabbing her hand and headed toward the front door. It was just past 7.15, the drive into town would take about 25 minutes, giving them enough time to park and walk over to the restaurant. 

Nicole held the Jeep door open as her fiance slid in, careful to avoid the ammo can that sat in the footwell. Closing the door the redhead jogged around to the driver's side, jumped in, started the ignition, reached over to the heater dial and cranked it up to full heat. Adjusting the seat position and mirrors she slipped the car into gear and headed across the rickety wooden bridge to join the main carriageway, the mix tape she had made for Waverly started to play softly in the background. 

Waverly couldn't help but smile and her eyes shifted from starting out of the window to gazing at her engagement ring.

"Nicole? Does everyone know about what you had planned today?" 

"Nope. I didn't tell a living soul."

"Really? Not ever Wynonna?"

"Especially not Wynonna." she blurted out "I love her but I didn't know if she would let slip after one too many drinks. I couldn't risk it." The office took a deep breath, dropped her voice to a whisper and confessed, "Plus, I was terrified you might say No."

As Waverly digested the words she shifted in her seat so she was sat facing the redhead who's eyes were fixed on the road. The smaller woman could only see her fiance's face as it was illuminated by the headlights of passing traffic. 

"Terrified I might say No? Really?" the brunette's voice was soft and full of concern. Placing her hand on top of her fiance's she interlocked their fingers and gave a light squeeze. Silently the Officer nodded and gave a nervous smile. Tears poked at her eyes.

"Oh Baby, you're my world. I am the luckiest girl in the world and I cannot wait to marry you." pulling the redhead's hand to her lips she placed a soft kiss to her knuckles. "I can't wait to start planning it."

Wiping away a stray tear that had escaped onto her cheek the Officer gave a nod and took a breath to steady her emotions. They sat hand in hand listen to the music for the rest of the journey, stealing glances out of the corner of their eyes. Both women could believe how lucky they were to have found their perfect match, their soul mate, their Anam Cara.

As they made their way into town they approached Shorty's. The place seemed quite but it was still early, Gus's car was parked up outside, turning into the free space next to the truck Nicole parked up and killed the engine. The heat had kicked in a while back and kept her warm but she knew that the minute she opened the door she would be assaulted but the cold.

Making her way around to the passenger's side door she opening it, placing her left hand on top of the car she offered her free hand to the brunette. Taking it in her's the smaller woman noticed how warm the redhead felt even in the cold weather, Waverly slipped from the car and as if dancing spun out of the way whilst the taller woman shut the door behind her and locked up. 

They quickly walked hand in hand over to the restaurant to avoid the cold. Waverly started to skip as they crossed the road her excitement bubbling in her chest. She adored Chinese food and had been craving their wonton soup all day.

As they approached Nicole took hold of the cold metal handle and opened door allowing Waverly to enter. As the pair entered they were surprised to be to be greeted by Doc, Dolls and Wynonna. It had only just turned 7.50. 

Waverly looked surprised, Wynonna looked confused. 

"You're early, but you're always late for everything!" 

"Early? What the fuck. Haughtstuff said 7.30." Wynonna huffed. 

The pair looked over to the redhead who threw her hand up in mock surrender.

"My Bad."


	3. The Ring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The lovely Wayhaught head off to reveal their engagement to the gang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for taking the time to read this. I am 100% certain on the ending but the middle is giving me a bit of grief. 
> 
> I hope you like this. Sorry if it's rehashing old ground but it's building up to something so stick with it. 
> 
> Cheers for the comments and the Kudos. Genuinely makes my heart skip when I read it.
> 
>  
> 
> =======

Waverly attempted to stifle a giggle without success, Doc smiled widely whilst Dolls stood back straight giving the Officer an approving nod. 

Nicole grinned at the elder Earp, hands still raised in surrender.

"Seriously dude, not cool. We have been here for like, forever." Wynonna placed a playful punch on the Officer's shoulder and Waverly couldn't help but smile at the interaction. Wynonna didn't make friends easily and was extremely overprotective of her younger sister. However, she had taken an instant shine to the redhead and the younger Earp could be happier with their blossoming friendship.

Doc moved quickly from his place next to Dolls to address the pair.

"We arrived approximately five minutes before you Office Haught, Pay no mind to Wynonna here, She's a tad out of sorts after our little stake out earlier is all." Docs stood thumbing the rim of his hat as he held it in front of his chest, the tone playful.

"Whatever" She snapped as she lifted her hand as it to wave away the interruption.

Rolling her eyes she turned her gaze toward her little sister who was stood with her hands in the pockets of the Officers oversized coat, holding out her arms she pulled the brunette in close for a hug.

"Anyways, Happy Birthday Baby Girl."

Removing her right hand the younger Earp wrapped a single arm around Wynonna's back pulling her close. 

"Are you guy's okay?" The concern in Waverly's voice was evident, as she pulled back from her sister she met her gaze. Her hand slipped down to grip Wynonna's hand as she moved her eyes over to Doc and then Dolls. 

"What happened?" The redhead was equally concerned.

Just as Wynonna was about to explain she was cut off by Dolls and his distinctive "Shut Up" cough. Both Nicole and Waverly still had their backs to the entrance and Wynonna's line of sight had been blocked by the Officers tall frame so she hadn't seen the remaining dinner guests as they arrived. Dolls, however, had seen Gus and Chrissy walk through the door. Although Gus was well aware of the family curse and the fact that demons plagued the Ghost Triangle, Chrissy wasn't and the Deputy Marshall intended on keeping it that way. 

The group exchanged hugs, chit chatted and browsed the menu in the tight entrance whilst they waited for their table. Gus placed the menu she had been perusing down onto the window ledge and eyed the youngest Earp suspiciously.

"Erm, Gus? Are you okay?" questioned the youngest Earp. Waverly was totally confused. There was no way that Gus could have clocked the ring, she hadn’t taken her hand out of her pocket.

"I am looking for singe marks but I can't see any. I am guessing you didn't get a flamethrower." The relief was clear to see on the older woman's face. Although she wasn't Waverly's Mum she had raised her as her own after Wade's death and like Wynonna was extremely protective of the youngest Earp

"Officer? If you would like to follow me?" A small blonde server greeted the party with a smile before heading back in the direction she had come from. 

Placing her hand on the small of Waverly's back she held out her arm as the group ushered past one by one to the large round table that had been reserved for them. Holding back until they had all passed she glanced down at her fiance.

"You ready for this?" wiggling her eyebrows and smiling at the smaller woman she could feel both excitement and nerves building in the pit of her stomach. 

"Hell Yeah! I nearly blurted it out the minute we walked in." Taking the Officer's hand in hers the brunette weaved her way through the restaurant to the waiting party who had all taken their places at the table, all eyeing the menu eagerly. The smell that permeated the restaurant was intoxicating and Waverly’s stomach growled with anticipation. 

The nervousness overtook the excitement the Officer had just been feeling. Should she have asked Wynonna? Maybe she should have asked Waverly's closest kin for her opinion, they had become so close since the rookie cop had joined the ranks of the Black Badge Division but it was too late now. 

Removing the large coat that had kept her toasty Waverly placed it on the rear of the chair and sat down next to Nicole. Placing her hand on the Officers knee she gave it a gentle squeeze and the redhead dropped her hand under the table to meet the brunettes. She could feel the ring as their finger locked together and she couldn't help but grin, happy in the knowledge that Waverly Earp had said Yes. 

"So, how did your scavenger hunt go?" Gus questioned as their server came over to take their drinks order. 

"It was awesome." her hand gripped a little tighter whilst Nicole's thumb rubbed up and down the side for the brunette's index finger. 

"Did you manage to work out all the clues?" Chrissy chipped in, excited to find out what the end prize was. 

"Wait, what exactly went down? I was just told to be here for 7.30 by Haughtstuff then dragged out of the homestead by Docs at the ass crack of dawn" the eldest Earp chimed. 

"Well, when I woke up there was a note telling me to follow the clues, so I did. It started in our apartment," Waverly wiggled a finger between herself and the redhead. "Then on to Shorty's, It was the place we first met" she smiled as she recalled the events.

The whole table was riveted to the brunette as she informed them of the day's happenings. 

"The next clue lead to the Sheriff's office." She was about to spill the beans about the couple's first kiss when she stopped herself, a smile flashed on her face as she caught the Officers eye and a small blush graced her cheeks. 

"Which lead to the coffee shop." Waverly turned to look at the Redhead. "Thanks for the Tea by the way."

"You're welcome." The Officer placed a kiss on the side of the smaller woman's head before addressing the table. "Can I just take a minute to thank you all for your help with this today."

"What?" Waverly's head snapped in the direction of the officer. 

"Yea, I needed help placing the clues," winking at the brunette she continued with her thanks. "Wynonna I am sorry to drag you up so early and Doc you're a true gentleman for helping me with the logistics." 

"Why, Officer Haught It was my pleasure." Doc tipped his hat towards the redhead. Whilst Wynonna rolled her eyes and let out a huff.

"Gus, Chrissy thank you for your message's, Oh and Deputy Marshall, I appreciate you keeping an eye on things for me." the redhead's voice sounded different, too fast, too sharp, not the usual laid back confident tone and the Marshall picked up on it straight away. 

"No problem." Dolls murmured as he cast a quizzical eye over the newest Black Badge recruit. 

"So where did you go next." Chrissy chirpped, clearly excited to hear the juicy details. 

"Okay, So when I left you in the coffee shop I headed to the Lake that lead to the Barn and then finally into the homestead. I had to collect little wooden squares as I went. They all had a letter burned onto them. When I finally go to the end I had to arrange them to spell something out."

"OH MY GOD....... Did it spell Cancun?" Chrissy was on the edge of her seat the suspense was killing her. 

At that moment their server brought their drinks and started to distribute them across the table. Nicole took a long draw from the beer bottle she was handed, the mixture of nerves and excitement had taken over and she felt slightly sick. Waverly could sense that Nicole was nervous. Her leg hadn't stopped bouncing since they had sat down. She gave the redhead a wink and squeezed her hand in a silent attempt to reassure her it was going to be fine. 

"No, It spelled out Nube Mihi." Waverly glanced around the table but was met with raised eyebrows and puzzled looks. 

"What the fuck is that in English Baby Girl?"

"Wynonna, Language" Gus scoulded the elder Earp who held up her hands in surrender. 

"Well, It's Latin." the brunette replied.

"Yes, but what does it mean" Chrissy squeaked almost on the verge of exploding with anticipation. 

"It means Marry Me," Nicole announced. A sudden a surge of adrenaline rushed through the Officers body and she pulled both her own and her fiance's hand from under the table, fingers still intertwined and placed them on the white cloth spread out in front of them exposing the ring for the first time. 

"She asked, and I said Yes." Waverly and Nicole both looked around at the group trying to gauge their reactions. Chrissy's hands cupped her mouth, Gus looked like she was about to cry and both Doc and Dolls gave an impressed Nod.

"Holy Fuckin' Shit!!" Wynonna leapt from her chair nearly knocking over a diner in the process. She made her way over to her little sister and pulled her into a tight embrace. The tears poked at her eyeballs but she somehow managed to resist the urge to cry. Placing kisses on top on the brunette's head she grabbed the redhead's shirt pulling her into the embrace. 

"Why didn't you tell me" the question was aimed at the Officer. "Nevermind, I would've probably blabbed after a couple drinks anyways so good job." She loosened her grasp on the pair and flicked away a stray tear that had managed to escape as she made her way back over to her seat. 

The rest of the evening flew by. Gus and Chrissy both kept stopping what they were doing to admire the ring that lay upon the brunette's finger and Waverly was more than happy to keep showing it off. They finished up and paid the bill heading out into the cold night. Wynonna suggested a celebratory drink back at Shorty's. Without even discussing it they both declined. It had been far too long since their earlier intimate encounter and both women were eager to pick up where they left off. 

"Come on. Just one drink" Wynonna begged.

"Sorry Nonna, We've got a wedding to plan."


	4. Calamity by name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seems there is a new BoBo on the block for the team to investigate and take down before he takes one of them down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks for your eyeballs. 
> 
> Honestly, I really really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to read this. 
> 
> Thank You for the comments and all the Kudos It makes my day when I read them.
> 
> Not sure who decided that Nicole's cat would be called Calamity Jane but it's genius and so I have just rolled with it (hope you done mind genius cat naming person.)
> 
> As always feel free to be my tumblr buddy: thegreatandpowerlesssticks
> 
> ======

The weekend had passed to quickly and both women were reluctant to leave the comfort of their warm bed as the alarm sounded angrily from the nightstand. Waverly was hidden under the covers, snuggled in tight to Nicole's chest. She buried her head deeper as the incessant noise continued to flood the room. 

Nicole's arm was draped over her fiance's middle with her hand placed on the small of her back, pulling her in close. Her hand was instantly missed by the smaller woman as she removed it to roll onto her back, leaning over to hit the snooze button on her phone to shut off the alarm. As soon as the noise stopped she rolled back over to her side and replaced the hand.

Waverly's breath warmed the tight space between them and Nicole couldn't think of anywhere else she would rather be at the precise moment in time. She had less than nine minutes to savour the moment before the alarm would sound again. She had pulled the early shift so her alarm had been set for 5.am, she knew that she could press the snooze button at least once before having to get up so she could spend a little more time in Waverly's company, even if she was asleep. 

The day ahead was going to be a long one for both of them. She was on regular police duty first and knew that Dolls had plans for a Black Badge reconnaissance mission later in the day. Waverly was due to research the upcoming mission and then had the late shift at Shorty's to contend with. 

The alarm sounded again and the Officer reluctantly peeled herself away from the sleeping brunette and stopped it before it had a chance to wake her fiance. Waverly wasn't due into the Black Badge office until 8.30am so it would be unfair to wake her so early. Placing a kiss to the smaller woman's forehead she slid quietly from the bed, the cold morning air assaulted her senses.

The Officer tiptoed to the dresser and grabbed her underwear, pulled her uniform from the closet and stealthily made her way through the dark to the bathroom. Closing the door quietly she pulled the light switch to illuminate the room and hung her uniform on the back of the door, placing her underwear on the vanity. 

The hot water warmed her cold flesh as she slid into the shower, it felt so welcomed against her chilled skin, she just stood there enjoying the feeling for a few minutes before being pulled back to reality as her phone pinged. Pulling the shower curtain back she leant over to the vanity and pressed the home button to review the message. It was only spam e-mail but she could see that the time was now 5.27am, deleting the junk mail she locked the phone and returned to the comfort of the warm water wasting no time in washing her hair.

She finished up in the shower, brushed her teeth, toweled off her hair as best she could and got dressed into the neatly pressed uniform. Switching off the light she opened the door that lead into the bedroom and noticed that Waverly had shifted over to her side of the bed. Sneaking over to her side, the redhead knelt down and placed a kiss on the brunette's cheek. " I love you Waverly Earp."

She could have easily slid back under the covers and back into the clutches of her fiance but she needed a cup of coffee before work and wouldn't have time to brew a pot of she did.

As she walked down the hallway and into the living room the Officer was greeted by the meows of the cat. Calamity Jane was a stray cat that her Grandpa had allowed Nicole to take in years earlier.The disheveled kitty had only been in the house a few minutes before knocking a vase over, causing her to run for cover as it smashed, only thing was she ran straight into the leg of the coffee table. That's how she got her name. Calamity by name Calamity by nature her Grandpa would say. She didn't like most people, especially men but given her space she adapted to living with the Haught's. The tortoise shell had lived with her Grandpa up until his passing, after that the feline moved to Purgatory with Nicole. 

"Good morning Calamity." the Officer whispered as she crouched down and stroked the cat, her back arching as the redhead's hand moved down her back toward her tail. Letting out a half purr half meow she trotted off toward her empty bowl. Switching the coffee pot on as she made her way into the kitchen Nicole grabbed the empty fish shaped bowl, refilled it with kibble and deposited it back on the floor. The cat wasted no time it tucking in. Heading into the spare room officer dried her hair and tied it up in a braid. 

She finished the last of her coffee, laced up her boots, grabbed her thermos and lunch and headed out the door toward her cruiser. The morning was cold, fall had well and truly arrived and it wouldn't be long before the first snowfall would be upon them. The journey to the station only took a few minutes, it was within walking distance but Nedley liked the cruisers to been seen, said it gave the town folk reassurance, made them feel safe. 

The morning had been a quiet one, nothing had come over the wire and Nicole was grateful as it gave her a chance to catch up wth paperwork. Doc, Dolls and Wynonna headed to Shorty's for lunch but Waverly had declined the offer to join them. The brunette had been nose deep in research all morning and hadn't even had time to grab a drink. She knew that the Black Badge relied on her intel but she was finding it hard to locate any information on the most recent Revenant leader. Nicole hadn't seen her since she entered the station at 8.15 that morning. Grabbing her lunch from the fridge she headed to the counter, pulled Waverly's Unicorn mug from the cupboard and proceeded to make her a cup of peppermint tea. 

The Officer slid into the Black Badge office, Lunch under her arm with a thermos in one hand and a steaming mug in the other. The silence was deafening, the petite brunette had her back to the door and was hunched over a huge pile of newspaper clippings, local archives and a large leather-bound ledger. 

"Hey Baby" the redhead placed the mug on the desk next to a newspaper cutting showing a rather gruesome scene, placed her hand on Waverly's shoulder and planted a kiss on top of her head. 

"Hey," the smaller woman's hand moved up to her shoulder to meet that of the Officers. "Thank you so much."

"I haven't seen you all day, You ok?" Nicole asked as she pulled up a chair, placed the thermos and brown lunch bag on the desk and sat next to her fiance. She could see the look in the brunette's eye, something was bothering her. 

"Yeah, just this research is a bit intense. I can't find much on the main guy but his gang left a lot of dead bodies in their wake." Waverly flipped through a pile of newspaper cuttings highlighting the number of deaths she had found so far, tears poked behind her eyes. "There brutal, they didn't just kill people Nicole, they tortured them for days on end then discarded them leaving them out in the wilds." her voice broke as she updated the redhead on her finding's. 

"Promise me you will be careful tonight." she moved over to straddle the officer's lap, wrapping her arms tightly around her and buried her head in the warmth of her neck. Fear rippled through her body and the tears that had threatened to make an appearance showed up with a vengeance. Nicole held her close, an arm on the small of her back pulling her near and one cradling the back of her head. 

"Baby, I am gonna be fine." She placed kisses on the side of the sobbing brunette's head in a bid to reassure her. "It's just a stakeout, plus Doc and Dolls will be there and Wynonna's got my back."

Pulling back Waverly's eyes met Nicole's. 

"Promise me Nicole" her eyes fell down to the buttons on the Officers shirt. "Promise you will be safe. I don't know what I would do it you got hurt" Waverly's body jerked as the sobs receded. 

"I swear I will be careful. Nothing is going to happen to me, you hear. I Promise you." the redhead pulled her fiance closer and placed a lingering kiss on her forehead. "I love you, Waverly Earp. Now leave the research for a while. You need to eat." 

The sat and ate the lunch Nicole had brought in with her, sharing the sandwich and enjoying each others company whilst they could. The officer only had a few hours of her shift to go and then she would be heading out for the stakeout, Waverly was due to start her shift at Shortys at 5pm and she still needed to find out more intel on the revenants. 

As the end of her shift approached the officer headed to the locker room to change for the reconnaissance mission. Changing into a pair of dark blue jeans and a plaid shirt she loosened her braid and tied her hair up in a messy bun. Dolls, Doc and Wynonna were congregating in Black Badge office waiting for the newest member of the team to join them, the brunette couldn't pull her eyes from the redhead as she reentered, studying every inch of her body as if it were the last time she might see it. 

Waverly had provided as much intel as possible, it seemed that their latest target and his posse were not the type to appreciate people snooping into their business and liked to shoot first and ask questions later.

Dolls delivered his team a mission brief and they headed out in single file to their awaiting SUV. 

"Be careful." Waverly pleaded to the group as they filed through the door, Nicole held back to give her fiance a parting kiss. 

"See you at Shortys later Baby." 

Standing in the silent Office the youngest Earp couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. In a bid to occupy her mind she began to pack up the piles of paperwork she had been rummaging through. However much she tried she was unable to shake off the feeling that something bad was about to happen.


	5. Walk in the park.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I got a bad feeling about this."
> 
>  
> 
> ============
> 
> Sorry, I suck at summaries. However bonus point if you can tell me what film (in all 7) the above line has been mentioned in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. Hope you like this. It didn't turn out the way I had originally planned but for the better I think.
> 
> As always thanks for reading this. I appreciate you taking the time out of your day. Again many thanks for the Kudos and comments. I love reading them they seriously make my day. 
> 
> Also, I apologise for my complete lack of knowledge around guns. I am from England and the only gun I have ever up close and personal with is a tattoo gun. Pretty sure the Po-Po are going to be kicking my door down as the arse crack of dawn after the searches I have done on google around guns, bodies and blood. 
> 
> =======

The SUV pulled into the layby at the side of the road that ran parallel to their destination and Dolls killed the headlights. 

The plan was simple. They would split into two groups, assess the situation, gather intel and leave without being spotted. The revenants makeshift camp had been set up to the south of Purgatory, a little way from the boundary of the Ghost River Triangle in one of the old abandoned cattle ranches. 

It wasn't a very large area to cover. There stood a small derelict house, a rickety barn and a few ramshackle outbuilding scattered haphazardly amongst the decaying remnants of farm equipment.

"Remember, this is reconnaissance only. We do not, I repeat, DO NOT engage. Understand?" Dolls voice was unwavering. His words were aimed at Wynonna as she had a tendency to be a bit of a loose canon but he ensured that the whole team understood their goal. Dolls knew that if Waverly had advised them of the dangers they should heed her warnings. So far her research had always proven to be correct. 

"Yes Sir" Wynonna gave a mock salute.

"I'm serious Earp. Am I making myself clear?" His tone was stern.

"Crystal." She rolled her eyes as she placed a hand on the door and cracked it open. 

He turned in his seat to eye the two other members of the division. 

"Understood," Nicole gave a nod as she slipped on the black bulletproof vest and fastened the strap around the front of her chest. It was standard issue and the rest of the team bar Doc was already wearing theirs. 

"Don't worry about me Dolls, I am fully aware of the dangers. I was unlucky enough to happen upon these so-called "Gentlemen " many a moon ago." Doc replied as he pulled his revolver from its holster, his moustache twitching at the recollection.

Splitting into their preassigned groups they would cover more ground and be able to get in and out quickly without drawing any unwanted attention. Dolls and Wynonna headed to the east side of the property line whilst Doc and Nicole headed to the west skirting the remains of a split rail fence. The evening was getting colder and the sun was waning in the sky. It would soon be dark so they needed to make the most of the time they had. 

As they made their way to one of the rickety outbuildings they found the perfect spot in which they could survey the entire property. The place was eerily quiet, the only light coming from the old barn. The place was deserted. Nicole noticed that there seemed to be no vehicles parked up, just a lone motorbike stood next to the barn door. 

They couldn't gather much intel from their current position and both Doc and the Officer were eager to push on making the most of the dwindling daylight. 

"I am gonna make my way over to the barn, See if I can get close enough to make out any conversations," Doc whispered to the redhead as he stood and indicated in the direction of the lights. 

"Roger, I will cover you." The Officer spoke hurriedly as Doc dipped and ran across the gravel path in the direction of the barn. She lost sight of him as he passed one of the old rusted trucks that littered the property so had to reposition herself on the other side of the outhouse to reestablish cover. 

She didn't have a good feeling about their current situation. Her Grandpa had always told he that her gut feeling was the best resources she would ever have and to always trust her instincts. She pulled her gun as the feeling in the pit of her stomach grew more and more intense. As she turned to regain a line of sight she was greeted by the barrel end of a Remington Model 1875.

"Well then, what do we have here." The first thing that hit her was his breath. It reeked of bourbon and cigars. The Officer raised her hands above her head dropping her gun in the process. 

"It's my lucky day. The bitch girlfriend of Waverly Earp all alone." He licked his lips as he ran his eyes up and down the redhead's body "The things I could do to you right now."

Nicole was paralysed with a mix of fear and disgust and she could hear her heartbeat in her ears. The Deputy Marshall and Wynonna were the other side of the property and Doc was otherwise occupied. Unwanted thoughts raced through her mind as her heart pounded in her chest, mainly the look on Waverly's face when she would find out that Nicole broke her promise. She had sworn that she would be okay and now that solemn vow was about to be broken.

"We had big plans for you and that little Earp girl. Looks like I will have to just take care of you first." He placed a ragged thumb to the hammer of the revolver pulling it up slightly so it was only a few feet away from her face. "Shame, you won't be around to see the look on her pretty face when I put her down."

Nicole closed her eyes, took a deep breath and pictured Waverly Earp smiling at her, a single tear rolled down her cheek as she prepared for the shot.

"You cock that Remmy and I will blow it out of your filthy hand faster than a fly can blink." Doc appeared from the darkness that had now overtaken the late evening and stood at a right angle to the revenant. 

"Doc Holliday." the demon spat as he spoke.

"Guilty as charged. So I suggest you drop that weapon." he retorted as he cocked the hammer of his own gun. 

Slowly the revenant lowered the revolver and turned to eye the unwelcomed guest. Doc pistol whipped him and he fell to the ground in a heap. 

"You Okay, Officer Haught?

Dolls and Wynonna had silently made their way around the entire circumference of the property and discovered that the place was empty. As they approached the outhouse they could see Docs standing over the figure, gun still trained on him.

"Yeah, I am fine, Thanks" the redhead was clearly shaken by the experience. The thought of disappointing Waverly, of breaking her promise was too much and she began to chastise herself. Angry that she had allowed the Rev head to sneak up on her and put her in that position.

"Our objective was not to engage Doc." 

"It's my fault. Sir." Nicole admitted. "I lost sight of Doc and he snook up on me." 

"Thankfully he seems to be the only one here." The gunslinger spoke quietly eyes still fixed on the demon.

After a few minutes, the revenant began to stir. Catching sight of Wynonna he began to laugh menacingly.

"The Heir," he hissed "Oh, we have big plans for you little lady and that bitch sister of yours too."

The Officer's hands balled into a fist at the mention of her fiance's name. 

"Oh Yeah? Bet you didn't plan on this." Pulling Peacemaker from the holster she placed a bullet directly through his forehead before the ground opened up dragging the demon back to hades. 

Wynonna made her way over to the redhead and pulled her into a tight embrace. "You good Haughtpants?"

Nicole nodded silently before collecting her gun and placing it in the holster. 

"I think we got as much as we're gonna get here and you need a drink." The brunette pointed at the officer. 

"Earps right. We need to make a move before the rest of the revenants get back. Let's go." Dolls ushered them back in the direction of the SUV.

The journey back into town had been a quiet one. Nicole was still trying to calm herself down, frustrated at how the night had played out and angry at the things the revenant had said about her fiance. As they pulled up outside Shorty's the officer removed her vest, tossed it on the rear seat next to Doc's and exited the vehicle. Doc and Dolls had a few loose ends they needed to tidy up so headed back to the Black Badge office.

"Come on Haught. Drinks on me" Wynonna playfully bumped her shoulder against the Officers as she made her way to the bar's door. As she was about to reach for the handle Nicole grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. 

"Please don't tell Waves about tonight." Her eyes were wide and desperate "I promised her I would be careful and she will be so pissed."

"Oh, believe me, I would rather face 100 Rev Heads than a pissed off Waverly." Wynonna gave her a shoulder a gentle punch and headed into the noisy bar. 

Monday night was free pool night. Champ Hardy and his buddies were bound to be in there and it was the last thing Nicole needed after the events of the previous few hours. However, the thought of spending any more time away from Waverly was too much to bear and it wouldn't be long until closing.

The smell of ranch, body odour and cheap cologne hit them in the face as they entered. As predicted Champ and a group of his friends were hogging the pool table, empty pitchers strewed around the table the occupied. They were all a little worse for wear and very rowdy. 

Waverly was busy in the back office whilst one of the regular bar staff held the fort. Wynonna grabbed a bottle of Bourbon and sat at the bar whilst Nicole slipped through the hatch and down the narrow hallway that lead to the small room. Peering through the door the redhead could see that Waverly was engrossed in a book. She crept in to get a close look. Inside the large leather bound ledger was a bridal magazine opened on a page displaying the latest wedding dress designs. A gigantic smile now replaced the frown she had been wearing. 

"Hey Baby, Whatcha doing?"

Waverly jumped out of her skin and stood, slamming the book shut in the process. 

"Jesus Christ Nicole. You scared the shit out of me." the brunette held a hand to her chest the other to her forehead as she spun on her heels to eye the redhead.

"I'm Sorry Baby." Nicole was already halfway across the room arms outstretched. Grabbing the smaller woman around the waist she pulled her in for a tight embrace. "You looked enthralled. Paperwork that interesting eh?"

"You could say that." Waverly buried her head in the Officers Neck. "Did everything go okay tonight?"

"Oh Yeah, Walk in the park." although it was only a white lie she still hated the fact she was keeping things from Waverly but she knew that it was for her own good. A pissed of Waverly was something not to be reckoned with. 

Waverly looked up to meet her finances gaze, leant up and placed a gentle kiss on the redhead's lips. Nicole didn't break the contact and instead deepened the kiss, pushing the brunette against the desk and lifting her up to sit on top of it. A few papers fell to the floor as the heat built between the pair, their kiss becoming more and more frantic. 

The sound of the rowdy bunch emanating from the bar broke them from their pursuit. Nicole stood with her forehead touching the brunettes. 

"How long till closing?"

"An hour, then I have to clean up."

"Good. I will help. The sooner you're done the sooner I can take you home Ms Earp."

"Shouldn't take too long" jumping up from the desk she made her way across the small room.

"Hey, If I'm gonna help do I have to wear the official uniform?" Nicole gave a playful smile to the smaller woman. 

"Only if I can wear yours when we get home." Waverly bit her bottom lip and gave the redhead a wink as she walked out of the door towards the noise.

"Haught Damn, Waverly Earp. You're killing me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think?


	6. Karma's a bitch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day just goes from bad to worse for poor Officer Dimples.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like. Had to take the dog on an extra long walk to squeeze this out my noggin. I totally lost inspiration over the last few days so it if a big ol' pile of bollocks I apologise.
> 
> Thanks again for your comments, kudos and feedback means a lot.

The brunette rounded the corner leaving the Officer alone in the small back room. The thought of Waverly wearing only her uniform played over and over in her head and she couldn't wait for the bar to close and to get her fiance home and act it out for real. The evening hadn't gone to plan and she was still punishing herself for being held at gunpoint by a revenant, the only thing that would make her feel at ease would be when she had Waverly in her arms.

Looking around the small office the only thing that caught her eye was the book laying on top of the desk her fiance had been so enthralled with. Unable to contain her curiosity the redhead opened the leather-bound ledger to reveal the bridal magazine hidden within. Waverly had placed sticky labels of varying colours on almost every page highlighting table layouts, colour schemes, venue inspirations, flower designs and dresses she liked. A smile grew on the Officers face, she couldn't help but chuckle at how organised her fiance was, it had only been two days since she had proposed and already she had started to map the whole thing out. She was indeed a planner.

Flipping to the middle of the magazine the redhead was met with a double page spread of the latest wedding dress designs, they were stunning and the thought of Waverly wearing any one of them gave her butterflies in her tummy. Tracing her index finger over one of the ivory gowns a rush of excitement coursed through her body. This was actually going to happen and she couldn't wait. 

The hubbub coming from the bar was getting louder and less rowdy and more of a ruckus. Shutting the book the Officer made her way back down the narrow hallway, the voices that had been mashed together in the small office were now discernible and her stomach dropped as the words hit her ears. 

"It's Disgusting, DISGUSTING." Champ spat the words over his shoulder in Waverly direction as he made his way back over to the pool table and to his buddies who were all a little worse for wear. He had spied the ring on the brunette's finger as she filled the pitcher and he couldn't keep his rage from spilling out. 

"What the FUCK did you just say?" Wynonna had jumped from her stool at the bar, leaving the half bottle of bourbon and was making her way over to the rodeo clown and his posse.

Nicole made it to the end of the hall and back into the main bar to find Waverly stood with tears in her eyes, back flush to the bar swivelling the ring on her finger. The barmaid who was tending the bar had left for the evening leaving Waverly to call time and close up. The Officer made her way over to the brunette in seconds grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her in close, one hand holding the nape of her neck the other rubbing circles on her back. Waverly began shaking as the tears turned into sobs and the Officer could feel the heat rising in her with anger. 

"You heard me, It's Disgusting." He was standing toe to toe with Wynonna and she could smell the acrid stench of horse shit and stale beer drift from his direction. 

"The only thing that is Disgusting, Champ, is you." she pushed his shoulder with force causing the tattooed clown to stumble backwards.

Nicole placed a kiss on the top of the smaller woman's head and pulled away from her.

"Wait here." 

Nicole's voice was both warm-hearted and authoritative and she made her way across the now silent bar over to Wynonna. Most of the clientele had drunk up and moved on when Champ had started his homophobic tirade, they knew that there would be trouble and they didn't want any part in it. 

"You say anything about my Sister or Nicole again and I will break my foot off in your ass. You hear me?" The eldest Earp eyes were narrowed, piercing and hard. 

The group of friends Champ was with had been silent up until this point, when he was pushed, however, there came a few half-suppressed laughs and jeers.

Champ didn't take kindly to being embarrassed in front of his peers and couldn't hold his tongue. His pride had been bruised and he needed to show his buddies he was not to a push over. 

Nicole was closing in on the pair and Champ could see the rage written all over her face. She was almost upon them when a wave of bravado came over him. Pointing his finger in Wynonna's direction he began.

"Fuck you, your freak sister and her butch dyke cop gir-" He didn't have a chance to finish his barrage of insults before the heel of Wynonna's right palm smashed into the angry man's face, shattering his nose in the process. He dropped to the floor next to the pool table, cupping his face in his hands, his vision blurred by tears and the metallic taste of blood on his tongue. Wynonna stepped forward and raised a balled fist in anticipation of a retaliation.

"Wynonna." Nicole grabbed the elder Earps elbow and pulled her back from Champ who was still heaped on the floor. Although she wanted nothing more than the washed up rodeo star to have the shit kicked out of him, she was still a cop and couldn't stand by and watch as her soon to be sister in law continue to pummel the man-child.

Wynonna spun on her heel to meet the redhead's gaze. Nicole placed her hands on the elders Earp's shoulders in a bid to calm her down. 

"Hey, Are you okay?" the Officer's eyes were wide and full of concern. 

"Better now, Haught." Wynonna gave the redhead a wink as she massaged her right palm with her other hand wincing as she rubbed her thumb over the heel. Nicole rolled her eyes and gave a fleeting grin.

Champs buddies were no longer trying to stifle their laughter and this only fueled his anger. Placing his hand on the cushion of the table he raised to his feet wiping the blood from his face on the sleeve of his shirt. 

As his eyes began to regain focus the door of the bar opened. Both Doc and Dolls entered followed by Deputy Sheriff Rourke. Waverly had called the station for backup when Nicole had made her way into the fray. Both Doc and Dolls had been in the Black Badge office when the call came through and they wasted no time in making their way to the bar, there was a very strong possibility that this was a revenant attack.

Both Nicole and Wynonna snapped their heads to view the entrance startled by the sudden commotion. Rage still clouded Champ's mind as the echoes of laughter reverberated around the room, his eyes now fully able to focus. Without thinking, he made a grab for the cue that lay upon the green felt, the narrow end of the hard rock maple gripped in his hands. 

Stepping forward he raised the cue up behind his head and swung it forward with force. 

"EARP" Dolls yelled as he nodded his head in the direction of the attack as the Deputy Sheriff made his way over to the fight.

Without thinking, Nicole pushed Wynonna out of the way just in time to avoid her being clobbered. Unfortunately, this left the redhead the main target in the cue's flight path. The Officer's head spun as the maple stem made contact with her brow forcefully and she dropped to the floor, knocked out cold. 

"Nicole!" Waverly had seen the whole attack unfold in front of her and even before Nicole had hit the floor the brunette had shifted from behind the bar and was running across the room.

"Drop the weapon" Deputy Rourke promptly ordered, his taser trained on the boy-man, poised to strike. 

"You Asshat" Wynonna spun around to eye Champ. "You just assaulted a Police Officer, ya dick."

"Drop it" Rourke demanded again.

The cue, still in his hand, twitched as the elder Earp inched toward him and Rourke deployed the taser. Champ dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes, his body convulsing as the current pulsed through his muscles incapacitating him instantly. 

Blood pooled on the floor where Nicole lay, Waverly dropped to her knees and flipped the Officer over onto her back and she could see that the redhead had received a nasty cut above her left eyebrow. As she stirred the Officer tried to gain her bearings totally oblivious to the goings on around her. 

"Waves. What's going on?" the pain hit her, as she raised her hand to her brow Waverly caught it. 

"No, don't. You have a nasty gash." Doc had made his way behind the bar and retrieved the first aid kit. Handing it to Waverly he left the brunette to tend to the Officer's wound and made his way over to help Dolls and Rourke with Champ. "I need to stop the bleeding and get you to the hospital."

Rourke had Champ cuffed and in the back of the cruiser on the way to the station, Doc had cleared the bar of the remaining patrons and Dolls was helping Waverly get Nicole into the small red Jeep that was parked out front.

"Don't worry Baby girl, You get HaughtStuff taken care of. We will close up here." Wynonna gestured toward both Doc and Dolls as she made her way back inside. 

"Thanks, Nonna. I will text you once we're done." 

Waverly was physically shaking all the way to the Hospital. Thankfully Nicole was unable to see her as she had a gauze filled left hand pressed over the gash in a bid to stop the bleeding, her head leaning against the cold window pane to her right. The last thing the brunette wanted was for the Officer to start worrying about her. 

The Emergency Room was pretty much dead and they were seen to within minutes of arriving. Nicole's wound was cleaned and glued and a fresh strip of gauze applied once the derma bond had dried. The doctor checked her over for signs of concussion, wrote her a prescription for painkillers and gave her the all clear. 

Once back in the Jeep Waverly flicked open her phone and sent Wynonna a text to give her an update, placed the car into gear and headed home to the apartment. She couldn't wait to get home, she needed to wrap her arms around her fiance, keep her safe. 

"Hey Baby, are you ok?" Nicole questioned the brunette now able to see her hands as they trembled on the wheel. 

"Me? You're the one sporting the head wound. It should be me asking you if you're okay." Waverly's hand dropped from the wheel to grip the redhead's, their fingers intertwined.

"Waves, you're shaking." The concern in her voice was clear. 

"I just watched the woman I love get knocked out by a raging homophobe who also happens to be my ex and I couldn't do anything." tears started to fall as the admission slipped from her lips. 

"You did do something, Baby. You called the cops."

"Yea but too late. You ended up getting clobbered."

"Yea but he ended up getting tased. Karma's a bitch!" The Officer let out a satisfied chuckle, she only wished she had been conscious to witness it. 

"Do you think it will scar?" the brunette glanced over at her fiance gripping her hand tighter. 

"Not sure, Anyways, chicks dig scars"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you missed it, I think Champ is a Prick who needs to be high-fived in the face with a chair or a brick. I am not fussy either way.


	7. Section 270

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wee bit of TLC for Officer Dimples.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hope you like. 
> 
> Sorry for any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors.
> 
> Thanks for all the Kudos, I would tip my hat to you if I was wearing one but I'm not. 
> 
> I really appreciate your feedback on this and again would like to thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my brain dribble. They say write about what you know, hence a bit more of Nicoles Mum is in this. 
> 
> As always comments are always welcomed. 
> 
> ========

The room was softly lit by the light poking through the edges of the curtains as the sound of running water pulled her from her slumber. Still half asleep, the redhead slipped her left hand under the quilt to the other side of the bed in search of her fiance. However, she was only met with emptiness. 

Rolling over to her left side the pain seared across her forehead as her brow made contact with the pillow. Wincing, Nicole rolled onto her back, raising her hand to her temple to assess the damage from the night before. 

Slowly opening her eyes she sat up and slipped up the bed, her back flush against the pillows that had been arranged to ensure her head and shoulders would be elevated. She hadn't slept that well in weeks, maybe it was the blow to the head or maybe it was because she had fallen asleep in the safety of her fiances' arms.

As her eyes began to focus she could hear the sound of the water coming from the small bathroom and could smell the heady aroma of freshly brewed coffee emanated from the hallway.

Turning to the night stand she caught sight of a bottle of water and a small box of painkillers. Her head was still throbbing from the trauma of the blow and she felt slightly woozy as she reached over to grab the box. Pushing the two oblong pills from their foil covered packet onto her palm she tossed them into her mouth and reached for the bottle of water that Waverly must have left for her.

Condensation ran down the sides of the cold bottle leaving a small circular puddle on the nightstand. Cracking the lid she took a long draw and washed down the tablets. Hopefully, they would kick in quickly, not only did her head hurt but her neck was stiff and her right shoulder was bruised from where she had landed on the hard wooden floor of the bar. 

Resting her head against the headboard she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath in a bid to quell the nauseous feeling that was creeping up. It was 9.17 am and she was due to start the afternoon shift at 1pm. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed her head instantly spun and she gripped the soft cotton sheets in a hope of grounding herself. 

As the spinning subsided Waverly entered the bedroom with a hot mug of the freshly brewed coffee, as the smell drifted across the room Nicole shifted her gaze to meet that of her fiance's, tracking her as she made her way further into the room. The brunette's eyes were wide and full of worry and she quickly made her way over to the wounded Officer. Placing the Toronto Raptors Mug on the nightstand the smaller woman crouched down in front of the patient, placing her hands on the redheads' knees. 

"Hey," the brunette whispered as not to exacerbate the headache she knew the Officer would be suffering. "How are you feeling?" 

"Like I got tackled by a rhino," she swallowed audibly as she closed her eyes and took in the smell, a mix of coffee and Waverly's perfume. A smile played on her lips. 

"Well, Nedley called earlier and you have the next few days off." Waverly stood up and placed a kiss on her forehead before walking into the steamy bathroom and turning off the taps. 

"Wait, What?" the redhead questioned as she took a sip of the piping hot coffee.

"Yep, I have strict instructions from the Sheriff to ensure you get your rest" emerging from the bathroom she made her way over to her fiance, taking her hands and pulling her up to her feet. Seeing the flash of pain on Nicoles face the smaller woman took a step closer to the redhead as she gripped her shoulder. 

"Oh, sorry," the brunette scrunched her face up as watched the Officer "I called in a few favours so have the next few days off so I can look after you, Just call me Nurse Waverly!"

"Nurse Waverly eh!" the redhead raised an eyebrow and winked at the smaller woman. 

Wrapping her arms around her waist burying her head into the Officer's chest the brunette pulled the redhead in as tightly as possible without making her feel uncomfortable. 

"I am so sorry, Nicole."

"Baby, you have nothing to be sorry for." The redhead rested her hands on the smaller woman's hips placing a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"Yeah, I do" her voice cracked as she spoke. "I should have barred him a long time ago then this never would have happened." 

Nicole pulled the smaller woman away from her so she could make eye contact. 

"Waves, you couldn't have known he would act like that. It's not your fault." Just knowing that her fiance blamed herself for the actions of that idiot angered the Officer. "You hear me? It's not your fault."

Waverly gave a silent nod before Nicole wiped a stray tear from the brunette's cheek with the pad of her thumb. Sliding her hands down to grip the Officer's hands she gently pulled her towards the small steam filled bathroom and to the recently drawn bath.

"I ran you a bath" her voice was low "put some Epsom Salts in too. Should help soothe the aches." 

Nicole sat down on the closed toilet seat and watched as Waverly ran her hand through the water to ensure it wasn't too hot. After having a gun pointed at her and the very real possibility of being shot in cold blood the redhead was extremely grateful that all she had to complain about was a few aches and bruises. 

Waverly helped her undress, as the officer was unable to lift her right arm all the way up. The bruise ran from her shoulder down her arm to just above the elbow after it had taken the full force of the impact. She felt helpless, just like she had done the previous evening as she looked down the barrel of the revolver inches away from her face, the only difference being that Waverly was actually there helping her not just a fleeting image in her mind. 

Nicole stepped into the tub, the smaller woman held one hand whilst the redhead gripped the side of the bath lowering herself to a seated position. The warmth covered her like a blanket and she let out a satisfied sigh as she allowed the mineral infused water to wash over her body. Closing her eyes she slipped further down and rested her head on Waverly's pink bath pillow, her knees poking out of the water as she lay almost fully submerged. Waverly sat on the side of the tub and watched as the tension seemed to melt from her fiance's face. 

This was a part of Nicole's job she hated the most, the very real possibility that she could get injured, the only issue was she wasn't actually on the job at the time. Nicole was the most selfless person that the brunette had ever met and had put herself in the line of fire in order to save Wynonna from being struck. This scared the shit out of Waverly, what if next time it wasn't Champ and a pool cue, what it was a revenant with a gun. Her stomach flipped at the thought, she stood from her perch and began to pace back and forth. Knowing the Nicole would sense her unease at any moment she slipped back into the bedroom to grab a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt in a bit to occupy her mind.

She pulled the clothes from the dresser, opened the curtains and moved over to make the bed allowing Nicole to soak.

"Waves?" the gentle voice floated through the air as the brunette straightened the pillows. Hastily she moved from the bed to grab the pile of clothes from the rocking chair and headed back into the bathroom.

"Nicole? Are you okay?" 

As she entered the room she could see that the Officer was struggling to get out of the bath. The bruise on her shoulder had flourished into a dark blueish purple stain and looked painful. 

"Yea I'm okay, just need a hand getting up."

Waverly dropped the clothes on the vanity and made her way over to the tub. Bending down she placed an arm under Nicole's good side and helped her stand. The officer winced again in pain and began to rub her shoulder as the brunette wrapped a towel around her and helped her step out and onto the cold tile floor, gripping her hand tightly so she didn't slip she sat her down on the closed toilet.

Grabbing another towel the brunette knelt down and started to dry her fiance's long slender legs. Nicole remained hunched over on the seat, to sore and stiff to move. 

Again, she felt useless and could understand how her Mum must have felt, unable to look after herself thanks to the illness. Unable to move her limbs thanks to the destroyed synapses leaving her reliant on Nicole. Tears pooled in her eyes at the memory of her Mum, as she lifted her leg to slip into the sweatpants they began to fall causing the grey material to darken. It was only then that Waverly realised Nicole was crying.

"Nicole, Baby are you okay?"

Waverly stood up and the Officer wrapped her left arm around her waist pulling her as close as possible, her head buried in the brunette's stomach. The tears continued to silently fall and Waverly couldn't do anything but hold her fiance, rubbing patterns on her back in a bid to comfort her. Nicole took a deep breath and released her grip on the brunette. 

"Yeah, I'm okay," she wiped away the tears with the heel of her palm and let out a nervous laugh "Just tired I guess."

She knew full well that the real reason had nothing to do with how tired she felt, that was a lie, she hadn't had that good of a nights sleep in weeks. The real reason was fear. As she stood with the barrel of the revolver pointed at her face she all she could think about was Waverly. The revenant's threat of hurting the brunette had stuck in her mind like a stubborn splinter and no matter how much she tried to push it from her thoughts it would not budge. She wanted nothing more that to explain the real reason she was crying, to explain that she was terrified of anything happening to her fiance but that would involve telling Waverly about the stakeout and her close call. 

"Well come on then. Let's get you dressed and on the couch. We can flake out and binge-watch Netflix." Waverly cupped the redhead's face in her hands, careful not to catch her brow and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Oh, I need to rub some witch hazel onto that bruise too." 

Nicole remained sat as the brunette dabbed the astringent onto the angry blotch as softly as possible, once done she helped the Officer into her college soccer shirt and stood her up to enable the sweatpants to be pulled up. 

Waverly brought her eyes up to meet Nicole's gaze, the redhead stood and admired her fiance, no one except her Mum and Grandpa had ever looked after her like this and she was truly grateful. 

"Are you okay?" Waverly was puzzled as to why Nicole was staring at her.

"Thanks for looking after me Waves" she whispered.

"Hey, It's Nurse Waves, Thank you very much," she leant up and kissed her fiance slowly, lingering on lips "and you're more than welcome." 

Taking her by the hand Waverly lead Nicole from the bathroom into the bedroom, as they reached the door to the hallway Nicole stopped and pulled the smaller woman back. Spinning on the spot the brunette shifted her gaze to meet the dark chocolate brown eyes of her fiance.

"I love you, Waverly Earp." 

"I love you too, Nicole Haught" a smile blossomed on Waverly's face.

"Hey, how about we ditch Netflix and start to plan a wedding instead?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked, If you did let me know. xx
> 
> As always feel free to be my tumblr buddy: thegreatandpowerlesssticks


	8. Wild Horses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole rests as requested but has trouble shutting off her brain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hope you like. Went somewhere a little different with this chapter than I expected.
> 
> Sorry for any spelling / grammatical errors. 
> 
> Again, thanks for the Kudos and all the comments. I really appreciate you taking the time to read this and for taking the time to comment.

The small rectangular room was dark and musty, a single bulb illuminated just enough so shapes were discernable as the overpowering smell of damp permeated every square inch. The cold dark floor was hard and wet and she could feel the icy water as it soaked through the torn denim causing her skin to sting where it touched. Instincts kicked in as tired eyes began to scan the room seeking information. From the limited lighting, she managed to ascertain that she was in some sort of basement but was unable to recall how she had managed to arrive there, panic began to set in. Her knees ached from the pressure on the hard ground and her wrists burned where the rope had been securely fastened behind her back. No matter how much she wriggled she was unable to loosen the crude bindings. 

Sat a few yards in front of where she was kneeling the Officer could just make out the outline of a small figure sat slumped on a beaten up wooden chair. The silhouette was familiar, too familiar and instantly the redhead felt the dread pooling in the pit of her stomach. The motionless form sat feet in front of her was Waverly. She was bound, gagged and unconscious. Her hair fell from it usual braid surrounding her face.

The panic she had been feeling made way for fear and she knew she needed to reach Waverly and fast. Still unsure of how they managed to get there the officer struggled against the coarse restraints, her flesh beginning to burn from her efforts as heavy footsteps rumbled from above. 

From her position, she could hear as a door opened, an eerie creak emanated from the left side of the room. A soft glow poured through the entrance casting light upon a rickety set of stairs that lead down the farthest wall to the right corner as weighty boots stomped idly on the wooden treads of each step. With each step, the room became brighter and brighter as the warm glow from the mantle of a paraffin lamp lit the way of the bearer.

With the room fully lit the Officer could make out that she was indeed in a basement. The room was littered with barrels and boxes of all shapes and sizes. Some looked like whiskey barrels and some like tea chests but all old and moth-eaten, the floor dusty in places wet in others. The staircase descended from the left of the room and down behind where Waverly was restrained. As the lamp grew closer she could see that there were, in fact, now two people besides herself and Waverly in the room. 

The taller of the two men stood with his back flush against the wall the paraffin lamp rested on top of a barrel to the right, his leg cocked so his left knee stuck out. His hands crossed over his chest, he eyed the still form of the youngest Earp as the smaller balding man made his way across the room placing himself between the Officer and her fiance. In a desperate bid for freedom, she pulled against her bindings but they only dug in deeper and she could feel the sting as the warm liquid oozed from the openings in her skin. 

"Now then Missy," kneeling down the revenant placed the barrel of the revolver under Officer's chin and lifted meeting Nicole's gaze, "Old Pete wasn't lying when he said we had big plans for you and the Earp girl."

Seeing a mixture of fear and hatred in the Officer's eye the balding man let out a menacing chuckle. 

"Hey, Obediah" the smaller man shifted his gaze to the taller revenant, his gun never moving from its place under the redhead's jaw, "I think she likes me." His laughter filled the small room whilst the taller man remained still.

"What's not to like Augustus?" both men snapped their heads towards the staircase as a third man decended. The man was familiar, tall and slender, he had an air of confidence about himself and walked with a swagger. As the light from the lamp cast upon his face, the Officer knew instantly that this was the latest leader of the revenants, the one Waverly had been so desperate fo her to avoid. 

Moving from his position Augustus shifted to allow the slender man access to Nicole. Crouching down where the smaller balding man had just been he began his introduction. 

"Officer Haught." His cold eyes drilled into hers as he ripped the duct tape from her mouth and she winced in pain. "So nice to finally meet you." 

Nicole remained silent as she waited for the stinging to subside. 

"The name's Théodore Delacour." He ran his gloved hand through the Officer's auburn locks and she recoiled at his touch dropping her gaze to the ground. 

He stood and admired his catch before making his way over to the small chair where the motionless Earp sat. Running his hand across her shoulder he walked around to stand directly behind the small brunette, her hair in his hand, he took a long breath inhaling Waverly's sweet scent. 

"Don't you touch her. " Nicole spat, her lip curled in disdain as she fought against the restraints again. 

Gently removing the tan leather gloves he placed them on the grubby wooden chest next to the paraffin lamp before removing his long overcoat and doing the same. 

"Now, Now Officer. I have so many things planned for you and Ms. Earp here." 

Théodore paced back and forth behind the brunette as he rolled up the crisp white sleeves of his shirt. As the cuff reached to just above his elbow he stopped and placed his hand into the large wooden barrel that sat to the side of Waverly. 

The Officer could hear as the bucket scraped along the bottom of the barrel, the distinctive sound of the water being bailed out of the vessel echoed around the tiny space. 

His right hand took the majority of the weight of the dripping bucket, his left hand gripping the rim as he made his way back to stand between the lovers his demonic eyes never leaving Nicole. 

"But firstly I need some answers"

Without hesitation, he turned and deposited the contents of the bucket over the lifeless Earp. The ice cold water assaulted ever nerve ending causing the petite brunette to whip her head up, her feet scraped along the floor as she attempted to rise from the chair, Augustus chuckled loudly whilst Obediah remained silently stood against the wall. The smaller woman's eyes struggled to adjust to the light as the tape across her mouth made it difficult for her to catch her breath and Nicole could see that she was starting to panic. 

"Waves. I'm here baby. Look at me." Her eyes fixed on Waverly as the brunette slowly stopped struggling against her restraints. "It's going to be okay. Just breath."

Waverly fixed her eyes upon Nicole's and started to regulate her breathing.

"Now then," Théodore announced loudly making both women jump. "I want to know where Wynonna Earp and that big old gun of her is at." His question was aimed at the Officer as he ran the calloused pad of his thumb across the brunette's cheek.

"I have no idea where Wynonna is." The redhead's answer was genuine. She had no clue where Wynonna was, she didn't recall anything prior waking up in that room let alone the whereabouts of her soon to be sister in law or Peacemaker. 

Waverly murmured from behind the tape as the hard skin grazed the soft skin of her face. 

"Now come on Officer, Don't make me ask twice." His voice was calm as he held out his hand in Augustus' direction, the balding man passed him the revolver. Nicoles' eyes widened as the slim man held the gun at arm's length pointed directly at Waverly's head. 

"Please, I'm telling the truth, I have no idea where she is." the Officers' voice was panicked as her eyes flitted from Waverly to the revolver and back.

"You have until the count of three. Where is the Heir?" His voice raised as he cocked the hammer of the gun and began to count. "1."

Waverly's murmurs became frantic as she struggled against the bindings on the arms of the chair. 

"Please," she begged "I don't know. Please." Tears rolled down Nicole's face as she wrestled against the rough rope.

"2" His voice boomed in the small space.

The brunette's hazel eyes were full of desperation and Nicole could see the fear splashed across her face. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks, over the tape used to gag her and down her chin. The redhead pulled as hard as she could against the rope but no matter how hard she fought she was unable to move.

"Waves, I'm sorry, I don't know where she is." 

"3" 

"Please, NO."

The gunshot rang out and Nicole's breath caught in her throat. The world stilled as the brunette slumped in the chair.

\------

The officer was lying the full length of the couch covered in a flannel blanket whilst Waverly sat on the floor with her back flush to the sofa cushions, legs under the coffee table that was covered in bridal magazines. 

"WAVERLY, NO" The redhead yelled as she sat bolt upright, beads of sweat ran down her back and her breath was ragged. 

The brunette jumped at the unexpected noise and shifted her position to better view her fiance. 

"Nicole, It's okay" Waverly was kneeling at the side of the couch hands either side of Nicole's face cupping her cheeks and wiping away the tears. "Baby, it's just a dream." Her voice was full of concern. 

Nicole was clearly shocked and upset and her whole body shook. In an attempt to ground herself she gripped Waverly and pulled her close. The brunette moved to sit on the couch, wrapped her arms around the redhead's shoulders and rested her cheek on top of her head. 

"Baby. It's okay. I'm right here." She placed tender kisses on top of the Officer's head pulling her closer as gently as possible in a bid not to aggravate the bruise she sported whilst the redhead buried her face in the crook of her fiance's neck breathing in her smell. 

Nicole's breathing leveled out and she slowly released her vice-like grip. 

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a really bad nightmare. I dreamt I lost you. Scared the shit out of me." 

"Don't worry, It was just a dream. I am right here. I got you." Waverly leaned back resting her head on the arm of the couch, pulling her fiance down so Nicole's head rested on her chest. The Officer gripped Waverly's hand, intertwining their fingers whilst the smaller woman ran her free hand through her auburn hair. 

"Waverly, please don't leave me." Nicole's voice was thick with emotion as she held the brunette's hand. 

"Shh Baby, wild horses couldn't drag me away from you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you think eh?


	9. The Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your eyeballs. Hope you like. Sorry for the slow update.
> 
> Again, thanks for taking the time to read this. I appreciate all the kudos and comments are always welcomed. 
> 
> After the news that the orange fuckwit is now in line to be the next president I thought a little Wayhaught might be a good way to distract my tiny little mind.

It was uncomfortably bright and it took a minute for the youngest Earp to figure out where she was. The thin curtains were no match for the low winter sunshine which filtered through the threadbare material illuminating the familiar room. Waverly hated waking up anywhere other than in her own warm comfortable bed, she especially hated waking up without Nicole at her side, but after their argument, she needed to get away and clear her head and her old room at the Homestead was her only option. 

She had been in the wrong and she knew it but her stubbornness outweighed her embarrassment. She had let her mouth get the better of her and was currently too embarrassed to go back to the apartment and apologize and beg her fiance for forgiveness. 

Nicole was just doing her job, after all, it was her duty to protect everyone in Purgatory. However, since the night of the incident in the bar with Champ a few weeks earlier she had become overly protective of Waverly. The brunette was used to everyone in town treating her with kid gloves and she hated it, it was as if she was incapable of taking care of herself, something she had been doing quite well for the last few years. 

At first, Nicole's concern was welcomed but after a while, Waverly had started to feel smothered and frustrated that the person she loved didn't believe she was capable and that's how their first big argument had come to pass. 

After the brunette barreled out of the front door of their apartment, Nicole had sent Wynonna a text to let her know that Waverly was on her way over. She had contemplated calling the elder Earp but was pretty sure she would have been able to detect the anguish in her voice. It had started to snow and she was concerned that Waverly would be distracted by their heated words. She didn't go into details via the message and Wynonna didn't pry but the Officer made the elder Earp promise to text her back as soon as Waverly had arrived safely. 

It had been well past midnight by the time the fired up brunette had arrived at the homestead, stormed through the door and marched straight up to the small room at the end of the landing without so much as an explanation. Wynonna thought it best to allow her sister time to calm down, she had been on the receiving end of Waverly's wrath on a few occasions and knew exactly how to deal with it. 

As the light permeated the room, Waverly buried her head in the pillow and inhaled deeply, the bed linen smelt fresh but not like home, not like Nicole. The expression on her fiance's face as she left the apartment flashed behind her closed eyelids and she began to sob. How could she have said those things to the woman she loved, to the woman she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, to have a family with. Waverly couldn't shake the feeling in the pit of her stomach that she had ruined everything and pulled the duvet up and over her head in a bit to shut out the world. Her head ached from the tears that had barely stopped since she awoke.

As the brunette lay curled under the quilt all she could hear was silence. The homestead was quite and still nothing like the Earp-Haught apartment. Usually, there would be the sounds of Nicole getting ready for work or music coming from the kitchen but all she could hear was Wynonna's heavy footfall as she ascended the old wooden stairs and made her way down the landing to the door of Waverly's room.

She knocked gently and pushed the door open, peeking her head inside to find a small lump hunkered under the sheets. Wynonna made her way into the room, placed the mug down on the nightstand and threw herself down onto the bed, swinging her legs up, adjusting the pillow at the same time. Waverly could smell the coffee that the elder Earp had brought up with her.

"You okay, Baby Girl?" she nudged the lump with her right elbow, doughnut in hand as she took stock of the room. Waverly's boots had been dumped by the door and her puffer jacket lay on the rocking chair in the corner. Her phone was lying on the nightstand next to a pile of sodden tissues. 

Waverly didn't move, she didn't want to have to admit what she had said, least of all to Wynonna, so she pretended to be asleep. The elder Earp and the Officer had formed a strong bond over the last few years and the brunette knew that it would kill Wynonna if anything came between them. It was extremely difficult for her sister to make a real connection with anybody, but with Nicole, it was instant. 

"I know you're awake," she poked the lump again, "I could hear you crying from the hall," the concern was clear to hear in her voice. 

The small mass of sheets wriggled and a few stifled sobs were barely audible as Waverly pulled back the covers to expose her puffy eyes. The instant her eyes met those of her sisters she began to cry again, the tears fell uncontrollably and she found it hard to catch her breath. 

Throwing the remains of the doughnut into the corner of the room Wynonna captured Waverly in a vise-like grip and pulled her in close. The brunette buried her face into her sister's neck as the tears continued to flow, her body twitched as the sobs subsided. 

"It's okay, Baby girl. " The elder Earp rubbed her hand up and down her little sisters back in a bid to reassure her. "I take it you and Haughtstuff had a fight?"

Waverly pulled back, inhaled deeply and sat upright, wrapping her arms around her legs that had been brought up to her chest and brought her eyes up again to meet those of her sister's.

"I messed up Nonna." Her chin wobbled as the words fell from her mouth.

"I'm sure you haven't." Wynonna pushed the brunette's knee as she rolled her eyes. 

"I'm pretty sure I have," Waverly mumbled as she wiped a tear from her cheek with the cuff of her sleeve. She was still wearing the same clothes she had on when she barged through the front door a few hours earlier. "I don't think she will ever forgive me."

"Jesus Waves, what did you do?" her brow furrowed at the admission. Wynonna threw her sister a curious glance. She had never seen her so upset, she wasn't one to pry but Nicole was her friend too and she was now worried for both her sister and her best friend. 

"I don't wanna talk about it," The brunette started to rock back and forth whilst resting her chin on her knees. "I need to fix this, I just need to figure out how."

Wynonna placed her hand on her sister's shoulder in an attempt to convey her support. "Hey, I am sure you'll figure it out Waves. You're the smart one remember!" She winked at the small brunette who was now running her hands through her hair whilst reaching for her phone.

Standing up from her place on the small bed the Heir made her way to the door, she paused at the entrance and turned to face the room. Placing her hands on the cross piece of the architrave she leaned forward, stretched and let out a satisfied growl. 

"Fuck, I would kill for a Shiatsu right now." Wynonna rolled her shoulders as she glanced over to the bed. "Anyways, I gotta go, Dolls will go Bat Shit if I am late again. Got another tip off about Delacour and his cronies. You gonna be okay?" 

Waverly remained silent and just gave a half-hearted nod whilst still gripping her phone tightly, her mind was somewhere else. 

"Hey," Wynonna yelled and she clapped her hands in front of her snapping the younger woman from her thoughts "Nicole loves you, Waves. I am sure you'll figure it out." 

Waverly gave her a loving smile and nodded. "Yea, I will be okay. Thanks, Nonna." Swinging her legs out of the bed she stood and made her way over to the door and wrapped her sister in a tight embrace."You better make a move or Dolls will be super pissed."

Wynonna grabbed her sister's arm pulling the left hand up to expose the watch Nicole had bought her for her birthday. It was 8.55am. 

"Holy Shit sticks, he is gonna kill me." Wynonna pulled her sister close and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before hot tailing it down the stairs and out of the door. 

Waverly heard the telltale roar of her sister's Harley as she crossed the hall into the small bathroom and began to run a bath. Sitting on the edge of the tub she pulled her phone from her pocket and pressed the home button illuminating the screen. She had hoped for a barrage of text messages from Nicole but the screen was empty, except for the lock screen wallpaper which was a candid picture of Nicole. 

Her heart sank and her mind raced back to the day the picture had been snapped. It had been taken a few months earlier when the pair had taken a trip into the city. It was an early summer day, there was still a chill in the air but the sun was shining and the cherry blossoms were beginning to lose their bloom. The pair had spent the day strolling through the market, walking through the park and wandering aimlessly around an old antique store. They walked hand in hand without a care in the world. 

Waverly had taken the photo whilst an unsuspecting Nicole was eyeing up a vintage ring at one of the glass cabinets in the last store they visited. It was a plain dimpled silver band and the redheads eye was instantly drawn to it. Waverly had encouraged her to buy it but after seeing the price the Officer had second thoughts and they swiftly left the store. As they made their way back home they sang along to the radio as Waverly edited the picture, added a black and white filter and saved it as her wallpaper.

It had been the perfect day.

Turning off the taps the brunette ran her hand through the water to check it wasn't too hot, headed to the closet and grabbed a towel and made her way back into the bathroom. Placing the phone on the vanity she clicked on the music as she disrobed and slid into the warm water. Steam filled the small room as Waverly lay submerged in the tub, the warm water washing the salty tear tracks from her face. The brunette lay there for a while enjoying the comfort whilst music floated through the small space. 

Finishing up in the bath she pulled the plug and exited the tub wrapping the towel around her as she stepped out. She knew she would need to go home for a change of clothes before her shift at 6.30pm, looking at her watch she could see that it was now 9.42am and Nicole would have been at work for well over an hour so the apartment would be empty. Drying off she plaited her damp hair, dressed in the clothes she had slept in and grabbed her coat from the rocker. Grabbing the pile of tissues and the now cold cup of coffee from the nightstand she headed down the stairs, depositing the mug in the sink and the tissues in the trash she headed out of the door and out into the cold. 

Her heart raced as she drove through town, music blaring as a distraction, she kept her eyes peeled for her fiance's cruiser. She didn't know what she would do or say if she saw her. She was still ashamed of the way she spoke to the Officer the night before. Somehow she managed to avoid seeing anyone other than a few locals as they meandered through the streets going about their business. 

As she pulled into the street that housed their apartment the first thing she noticed was Nicole's Cherry red 1980 Ford F-250 pickup truck parked in its usual place. It had been her Grandpa's and when he passed it was left to his Grandaughter. Liam Haught loved that truck and took excellent care of it, something Nicole continued to do. Although she didn't use the truck on a daily basis, thanks to the cruiser, she did use it when she was off duty. They had taken the truck instead of Waverly's Jeep the day they went into the city that summer's day. 

It was now approaching 10.30am, as the brunette pulled up outside the apartment the next track on her iPod began to play. It was Beyonce, All the single Ladies. Slipping the Jeep into park she sat and listened to the song, it was one of the tracks her and Nicole had been singing on their way home from their day in the city. As the chorus kicked in she had a flash of inspiration, pulling her phone from her pocket she hit the home button, unlocked the device and began to compose a message.

Waverly: Gus, Need a massive favour. You know I wouldn't ask unless it was an emergency. Please, can you get cover for my shift tonight? Made a huge mistake and need to fix it ASAP. Will love you forever and ever. 

Hitting send she exited the vehicle and made her way into the apartment. Calamity was curled in a ball on the love seat, her favourite lounge spot and gave a half purr half meow as Waverly stroked her on the way past and into their bedroom. 

As she entered the room she could see that the bed had not been made. Waverly's pillow had been arranged so it was running from the head of the bed to the foot as if a Nicole had substituted it for her fiance. The Brunette had done the same thing on the nights Nicole had pulled the short straw and worked into the small hours or when she was caught up with Black Badge missions. Without thinking, she instinctively made her way over and lay on their bed burying her head into Nicole's pillow and inhaling her scent. It was only the sound of her phone that pulled her back to reality.

Mama G: Lord, are you okay? Is Wynonna okay? Don't worry about it, I will get cover. Please let me know that you're all okay. 

Waverly: Everyone is fine. I will speak to you later. Need to head to the city. Thank You so much. XX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? Hope you liked it.


	10. Doughnut Bandit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their fight, Nicole goes about her day as usual but after an encounter with a familiar face, things are put into perspective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, Thanks for taking the time out of your day to read this. I hope you like it. 
> 
> Thank you for all the Kudos and comments. Makes my day when you give feedback, so big hugs to y'all. Should have had this up yesterday but I have a very demanding Jack Russell who wouldn't give me a minute so blame him for the delay. 
> 
> Feel free to be my buddy on the crazy world that is Tumblr: Thegreatandpowerlesssticks.
> 
> Cheers

Nicole rolled through the door to the police department a few minutes before 9am, bleary eyed and flustered. The day hadn't started as the Officer would have liked and the redhead was in no mood for any type of interaction before she had at least two cups of coffee. Firstly, she woke up exhausted and alone, the heated words she had had with her fiance the previous night had left her bereft and she had spent the majority of the night replaying Waverly's words over and over. 

Secondly, she had pressed snooze a few too many times and ended up running late for work. So much so she didn't have a chance to make their bed or brew a pot of coffee for her thermos. Normally on days the Officer had been running late Waverly would have dropped off her lunch and thermos on route to either Black Badge or Shorty's but after last night she knew that her fiance would not want to see her. 

Hanging up her stetson and coat the redhead made a beeline for the break room. The small room was void of all life, for which the Officer was grateful but there was a fresh pot of coffee on the counter top. Opening the cupboard she reached in to grab her mug, it had been sat next to the pink unicorn mug that belonged to her fiance, knowing that Waverly would not be in the station today she decided to use her mug instead. It was silly but it was something that made her feel closer to the brunette.

Filling the mug with the watery black excuse for coffee she took a sip, she had forgotten just how bad the stations coffee was but she knew she would be out on patrol for a few hours later in the day and would be able to swing by the Grind House for a real cup. Next to the coffee pot was a box of doughnuts, on top was a post-it note that read "Wynonna Earp's, Touch and Die." The Officer couldn't help but smile, she knew that the only things Wynonna held dearly were her family, Whiskey and Doughnuts. 

Nicole was starving, she had skipped breakfast in favour of a shower and her stomach had been growling in protest since she had run out of the apartment. Flipping the lid on the white box she could see that there were 4 of the sugary treats left. The odds that Wynonna would be in work before 10am on a Saturday were not high so the Officer knew she should be out of the line of fire for at least 45 minutes, just enough time for the coffee to kick in. 

Reaching into the box she delicately lifted the only jelly-filled treat that remained and popped it into her mouth whilst she carefully closed the lid to the box and slid it back into position. Grabbing her mug she took a bite and turned to leave back to her desk, nearly jumping out of her skin as she did so.

"Well, Well, Well, Officer Haught," Wynonna exclaimed with mock indignation. The Officer stood rooted to the spot, caught midchew like a deer in the headlights. "Seems I caught me a Doughnut Bandit."

Wynonna stood leaning against the doorway, sunglasses covering her eyes, her trademark leather biker jacket on. She had a cardboard coffee holder from the Grind House in one hand, Peacemaker in the other.

"Wynonna, I was going to replace it." Nicole had managed to swallow the bite and raised her hands in surrender, she had been caught red-handed. "Last thing I need is for both Earps to hate me."

The Heir holstered her weapon and lowered her glasses to meet her best friends gaze. 

"Cool your Jets Haughtstuff. Firstly, Waverly doesn't hate you. She think's if anything you hate her right now." Making her way into the room she grabbed the unicorn mug from the Officer's hand and replaced it with one of the takeout cups from the coffee shop. "Thought you could use this. Now sit." 

Nicole took the cup and made her way over to the table.

"Wait, Waverly thinks I hate her?" Her eyebrows furrowed and she slumped in the hard rickety chair next to the table. Removing the lid of the cup she was hit in the face with the heady aroma of the quality coffee, taking a sip she felt comforted by both the warmth and the admission that Waverly didn't hate her. 

Dumping the contents of the unicorn mug into the sink the elder Earp grabbed the box of remaining doughnuts, ushered passed where the red head now sat and took a seat in the chair on the opposite side of the small table. 

"Look, I don't know what went on between you guys and I don't want to. All I know is that Waves was pretty upset and she seems convinced she has ruined everything." Wynonna took a sip from her cup and eagerly flipped the lid on the box of doughnuts. "Fuck Haught, you took the last jelly. Not cool."

"Wait, What?" Nicole was still trying to digest the words Wynonna had just spoken, she was unsure if she had heard her correctly. 

"I said you took the last Jelly." The brunette rolled her eyes at the question.

"No, you said Waverly was convinced she has ruined everything." Nicole shifted to the edge of the hard plastic chair. "It was my fault, I was the one in the wrong." The Officer lowered her head and stared at the floor. "I was....."

"Stop right there Haughtstuff," Wynonna raised her hand. "I am not getting involved, you're my best friend and she's my sister. I don't want to be stuck in the middle." She took a long draw of her coffee finishing it off in one large gulp. "All I know is that she said she needed to fix whatever it is she thinks she has done." With that the Hier stood and dropped her now empty cup in the trash whilst Nicole remained eyes fixed to the floor. 

"I don't want to lose her, Wynonna." Nicole rested her elbows on the table and cradled her head in her hands. She didn't want the brunette to see her eyes that were now filled with tears that threatened to fall at any moment. 

"Hey, Waverly loves you and you're not going to lose her, you big dingus." Wynonna placed her hand on the Officers shoulder and gave it a nudge. "You both need to talk it through. I'm sure you'll work it out and it will all be forgotten by Happy Hour."

At that moment Doc made his way into the small room, dressed in his usual garb with an empty cup in his hand and a kind glint in his eye. The gunslinger was extremely perceptive and could tell by the two women's body language that something was amiss. Ever the gentleman, he did not wish to pry into their business so acknowledged the ladies with a courteous salutation. 

"Good Morning Officer, Ms. Earp." He tipped his hat as he skirted the table and made his way over to the coffee pot. "I am sorry to interrupt your tête-à-tête. However, Deputy Marshall Dolls is about to pitch a fit. Wynonna, he is requesting the pleasure of your company." He filled his mug turned and leaned against the countertop. 

Nicole had regained her composure, stood up from the hard seat and gave the brunette a smile. Wynonna rolled her eyes, grabbed a doughnut and headed for the door. Doc remained in position, his mustache twitched as took a sip of the now lukewarm brew.

"Sweet Lord," he scowled at the unpleasant taste of the coffee. "That might just be the worst thing to ever grace my lips." 

Nicole chuckled as the cowboy sneered at the mug, removed a hip flask from his waistcoat pocket and decanted a good helping of whiskey into the coffee. She made her way back to her desk to complete the small pile of paperwork that had accumulated over the last few days stealing another doughnut as she left. After Wynonna confirmed that Waverly didn't hate her the redhead wanted nothing more than to bolt out of the door and make a beeline for the Homestead. Although a rather tedious task the Officer was thankful that she had something to occupy her mind for the next few hours at least. It wouldn't be long until she was out on patrol, the time always flew when she was out and about and her shift finished at 5.30pm, giving her just under and hour to find Waverly and have a good talk. 

As the clock struck noon the Officer donned her coat and Stetson and headed out to her cruiser. The first point of call was the Grind House, ordering one large Cappuccino to go. The Redhead chit chatted to the patrons with ease as she waited for her name to be called and mingled with the locals as if she had known them all her life. She had a charm about her that people could not resist, well all but one. Champ Hardy. 

He was sat in a booth at the far end of the coffee shop and the Officer had clocked him as soon as she walked through the door. After the incident at the bar, a few weeks earlier, Champ had not been able to look the redhead in the eye. He had been charged with assaulting an Officer but Nicole had dropped the charges after letting him sweat for a few days, much to the annoyance of both Wynonna and Waverly. It seemed that he had seen the error of his ways as he had been nothing but polite since.

However, the sight of him stirred a memory from the night before and the Officer was instantly pulled back to the glum mood she had woken up in. She knew that Waverly hadn't meant for it to sound the way it had but being compared to Champ Hardy, in any way shape or form had knocked Nicole for six. It was right after that when Nicole was in a stunned stupor that her Fiance had grabbed her coat and barreled out of their home. 

"Officer Haught" The young barista called out into the hubbub. Although it was the weekend the place wasn't very busy but it sure was noisy. 

She thanked the young man, grabbed the coffee cup and made her way past the small queue of customers to the door. As she reached for the handle she noticed a small elderly gentleman sitting alone at a table by the window. It was Mr. Kinnerman, at one point he had been the local bank manager, a prestigious job back in the day. However, now he was an elderly widower going about his daily routine alone. It had been just over two weeks since his wife's passing and this was the first time Nicole had seen him out around town. 

Not wanting to leave the clearly still grieving man without passing on her condolences she stopped and headed in his direction. He was staring out of the window aimlessly whilst swirling his spoon in his coffee as if in a trance.

"Mr. Kinnerman?" Her voice was soft but loud enough to be heard above the din pulling him from his thoughts.

"Office Haught." He smiled at the redhead, a genuine smile that made his already wrinkled face crease a little further. "Please, won't you join me." He gestured toward the vacant chair opposite him and Nicole obliged. 

"I am so sorry to hear about Mrs. Kinnerman's passing." Nicole removed her Stetson and placed it in her lap. 

"Why, Thank you, Officer." His voice wobbled and he adjusted his glasses in a bit to cover up the tears that pricked his eyes. 

Mrs. Kinnerman had been one of the first townsfolk Nicole had got to know when she first moved to Purgatory. She had been to view an apartment a few doors down from the couple's home and when the realtor hadn't shown up Mrs. Kinnerman invited her in for a cup of tea. By the end of their meeting the Officer had found out that the couple had been high school sweethearts, had married at 19 and had never had kids. Since that day, Nicole had always made the time to stop and chat with the couple and make sure that they were okay. They were also the first couple outside of black badge or the Earp family to congratulate the Officer and her fiance upon their engagement. 

"63 years we were married." He raised his eyebrows and nodded whilst staring into his coffee. "It's a long time. You know, people said it wouldn't last" he let out a small chirp as he lifted the cup to his lips and took a sip, "Said that we were fools getting hitched so young but we showed em, eh!" he placed his cup back onto the saucer and brought his gaze up to meet the Officer's. She didn't interrupt, she knew this was a means of catharsis for the elderly man.

"Don't get me wrong, we had our ups and downs. Boy did we." He began to giggle as he recalled a memory from long ago. "She had a fiery temper, one time not long after we got married I went along to help with the grocery shopping. I must have been doing something wrong because we ended up having a to do right there in the store." 

Nicole smiled as she could see that just talking about his wife brought the grieving gentleman some comfort. 

"But we always made our peace in the end." He began to stare out of the window again. 

"She was a wonderful lady. I am grateful to have known her." Nicole replied breaking the silence between them. 

"She sure was. 63 years we had together and it still feels like not long enough." He brought his gaze up to meet Nicole's and placed his hand on the Officers. "My advice to you Officer, make every single day with that beautiful fiance of yours count. Life is too damn short."

"Oh, I plan on doing just that Sir." Nicole gave the elderly man an affirmative nod before watching him finish his coffee. "Can I give you a ride home? It's a getting quite nippy out."

The Officer was concerned as the snow had started to fall, it wasn't heavy but she would worry not knowing if the gentleman had gotten home safe. 

"That would be very welcomed Officer." Wrapping his scarf around his neck Mr. Kinnerman slipped his arms into the Navy moleskin style coat and buttoned up. Nicole held the door open and offered an arm, which he gladly accepted and headed for the cruiser parked a little way up the street. She made a mental note to make regular welfare checks on Mr. Kinnerman now his was alone. 

The drive was a short one and the Officer was able to park right outside the small home. Nicole walked him to the door and ensured that he was settled before turning back to the cruiser. 

"Thank you, Officer Haught. Give Waverly my love won't you. Oh, and remember, make every day count." He gave the redhead a wave from before closing the door.

As she closed the door to the cruiser she knew that the fight they had had the previous evening was just a small bump in the expansive road ahead. She contemplated sending a text but this was something that needed to be said face to face. Glancing at her watch she could see that it was just after 1.30pm and her heart fluttered, she knew she had a little over 4 hours until she saw the love of her life and made things right again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? Good, bad or indifferent?


	11. Rainy Day Funds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly sets out to complete her mission and starts to plan on how to make it up to her fiance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, turns out my life isn't as exciting as I thought it was going to be this weekend. As a result, I was able to go for a long walk with diva dog, get some ideas and finish this chapter off earlier than I thought. I hope you like it. 
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read it. 
> 
> Massive thanks for all the kudos and the comments so far. I really appreciate your feedback.

Waverly pressed her face into the pillow and inhaled deeply. It smelt like a mixture of fresh laundry and vanilla, it smelt like Nicole, smelt of home. The smell brought some form of comfort to the petite brunette and she stayed there for a few minutes wallowing in the heady scent. 

She knew she would have to make a move sooner or later as it took at least an hour and a half to drive into the city dependent on the traffic and she had a specific goal that needed to be achieved quickly in order for her to be back in Purgatory by 5.30pm. Reluctantly the brunette pulled herself up and sat perched on the edge of the bed, glancing down at her wrist, the hour hand on her watch was fast approaching 11am; this would give her six and a half hours to hopefully fix the mess she found herself in. 

Jumping from her fiance's side the brunette quickly made up the bed, opened the curtains, picked up the damp towel Nicole must have used earlier that morning and changed into fresh clothes. The weather had taken a turn overnight and the temperature had dropped dramatically. The city, although sheltered, somehow felt colder than Purgatory. Nicole had told her during their shopping trip last winter that it was thanks to the long narrow streets and the tall buildings that significantly disturb airflows causing the city to feel colder. 

Heading for the closest the brunette pulled out her gray chunky knit scarf, her hat, and gloves that Nicole had bought for her the previous Christmas, these would guarantee to keep her warm. 

Waverly loved Fall but Winter not so much, not until she met Nicole. The Officer would ensure that their apartment was always toasty warm, their fridge was always fully stocked, they would snuggle on the couch watching cheesy films and there would always be a supply of Haught hot chocolate at the ready, a true contrast to Champ. With him she hated having to spend the long dark winter nights alone whilst he put his buddies first, having to trudge through the snow to collect logs for the fire that he had promised to bring inside and hated being woken up in the freezing early hours to drive through the snow to pick up him from Shorty's drunk. 

At the thought of Champ Hardy, the brunette stilled and recalled the memory from the previous evening in which she had compared her fiance to that idiot. The words hadn't meant to come out the way they did and she most certainly hadn't meant to compare the pair. It was the look on Nicole's face as the words hit her ears that had etched in the brunette's memory.

Slowly wrapping the scarf around her neck she attempted to shake the image from her mind. Heading across the room past the rocking chair the brunette made a beeline for the nightstand on her side of the bed. Dropping to her knees she pulled the bottom draw from its runners and set it aside. Reaching into the void the brunette carefully removed a small wooden cigar box that lay hidden. Sliding the lid from the top she withdrew a large wad of notes, counted out a sum, replaced the box and the draw as she had found it. The box housed a little of Waverly's rainy day funds and today it was pouring down.

As she left their bedroom, headed back down the hallway and into the living room she could see that the cat hadn't moved an inch. Knowing that the house was back to its usual state of tidiness and the cat was quite content she headed out of the front door and into the bitter chill.

It hadn't taken long for the Jeep to heat up and she soon found herself passing the "Welcome to Purgatory" sign and over the county line out of the Ghost River Triangle. The roads were unusually quite and she made it to the city in record time but finding a parking space was not going to be easy. Waverly had only been to the city a handful of times and had never been there alone. Each time she had been either her Uncle Curtis, Wynonna or Nicole had driven so she had her work cut out trying to find a space to park and to navigate the antique store.

After about 15 minutes of crawling around the city, Waverly slowly began to recognise the surrounding buildings. Without reaising, she had made it to the parking lot Nicole had pulled into on their last visit and headed inside. Entering the lot she slowly decended the ramp and found a space close to the exit. 

Shutting off the engine the brunette reached for her phone and unlocked it. It was now just after 12.30 and she was right on schedule but there were still no messages from Nicole. This made her heart sink slightly but she knew that she had been in the wrong and she should be the one to reach out. However, she had a plan and needed to collect certain items before she could begin to apologise. Putting her phone back into her pocket she donned her hat and gloves and set out on her mission.

The small concrete vault echoed as she slammed the Jeep door behind her as she exited. The air was filled with the smell of engine oil and the sounds of car tyres screeching against the damp floor. The winter sun was high in the sky and the wind whistled through the streets like an urban canyon. If memory served the antique shop should only have been a few blocks from the parking garage. Pulling her hat down and her scarf up to cover her chin the youngest Earp made her way north with purpose. 

After around 20 minutes of wandering around, she managed to find the store just as the bright sunshine was replaced by ominous clouds. The sound of a bell greeted her as she pushed open the large heavy door to the shop, alerting the staff to her arrival. The place smelt like a mixture of musty books, leather, and Silvo. It was Waverly's idea of paradise, an Aladdin's cave of treasures and she could easily get lost amongst the vast array of items. Just as she approached one of the large shelves that housed an extensive collection of history books a tall stocky man wearing half-moon glasses and a bottle green corduroy jacket appeared from thin air.

"May I help you, Miss?" The man's voice was deep and gravely. He smelt like mint and bergamot and eyed the young Earp with intrigue. He removed the glasses that had been perched on the end of his nose and began to nibble on one of the ear pieces. 

"Oh, yes, please. I am looking for a ring." Still fully bundled up she realised how uncomfortably warm she had now become and so removed her hat and gloves and unzipped her jacket to allow some of the heat to escape.

"Right this way." He shot his left thumb over his shoulder, turned and headed to the back end of the store to the glass cabinets that lined the far wall. "Do you have anything particular in mind?"

Waverly scanned each cabinet in search of the ring Nicole had been enthralled with but could see no sign of it. Her heart sank a little, it was a long shot that it would still be there after all this time but she had to try. 

"Erm, yes, I was in here a couple of months ago and my girlfriend saw a plain dimpled silver band. It was in one of these cabinets I am sure but I can't see it." Her eyes ran across every surface in a bid to locate the item but was unsuccessful. 

"Dimpled you said?" The burly gentleman made his way over to the cash register and pulled out a large ledger. It held all the sales receipts for items sold over the past few months. Placing the spectacles on his nose he began to peruse the ledger page after page. 

"Yes, a plain dimpled silver band." Waverly was impressed with how organised their sales records were, in the back of her mind she knew the odds were not going to be in her favour but she held out hope.

"Well, I can't see a sales invoice for it so its got to be here somewhere." He closed the book and placed it back on the shelf under the register and made his way back over to the cabinets. 

After a further 20 minutes of painstakingly going through each cabinet, they were no closer to locating the ring and Waverly became increasingly disheartened but the store owner continued his search. 

"Well, I am at a loss, Miss." Pausing briefly he held out a finger as if he had had an epiphany. "If you bear with me I will just call my son, he has just popped out. I am sure he will know where it is." He reached for the phone and dialed the number as he made his way back around to the register and took a seat. He gestured for Waverly to take a seat on the large trunk that stood next to the counter but she remained standing, eager for his son to answer the phone.

"Hello, David? It's me..........Yes, I'm fine son. David, I am looking for a silver ring, it's not in the sales register..........Yeah, sounds like the one...... Oh................. " Turning on the seat he spun so he had his back to Waverly. Removing a set of keys from the loop on his belt he jiggled them in his hand until he located a small brass key. Pausing at the edge of the stool he leaned down to the strongbox, slid the key into the plug and twisted. "Argh, I see.................. Thanks, Son...... Okay, Bye." He hung up the phone and placed the handset back into the cradle that sat on the countertop. 

As he turned towards Waverly she could see that he held a small blue velvet box in his hand. Her eyes widened in anticipation and she took a deep breath in as he cracked the lid exposing the contents. She didn't want to pin her hopes on this ring being the right one but kept her fingers crossed. As her eyes focused on the ring her heart jumped in her chest and her breath caught in her throat. 

Judging from the wide smile on the brunette' s face the store owner could tell this was the right ring. 

"Someone came in a few days ago and asked to reserve it. We told em we could keep it for them for 48 hours, seem like they never came back for it." He removed the ring from its velvety cushion and handed it to Waverly with a smile. 

She slipped it onto her middle finger, the jade ring that Nicole wore on her right ring finger fitted Waverly's middle finger so she knew if it slid on without a problem she was onto a winner. It was a perfect fit and the smile that was plastered across her face only grew bigger.

"It's perfect, I'll take it." The words spilled from her mouth as she removed the ring and handed it back to the owner who placed it back into the box and reached for the sales ledger. 

As he completed the invoice the brunette reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone to check the time. It was coming up on 1.45 and she knew that she has a few more tasks to complete before heading back to the car. Unlocking the device she pulled up Google and began searching. It didn't take much longer for the sale to be finalised, locking her phone the brunette handed over the cash and took possession of the small blue box. 

"I hope she like's it." The man gave a warm smile as he removed the glasses that had been resting on the end of his nose and handed the brunette a copy of the sales invoice. 

"I am sure she will." Waverly folded the invoice and slid it into her bag but placed the ring into the pocket of her coat so she could keep her hand on it. "Thank you so much."

As she approached the exit the brunette could see that the weather had well and truly turned and the previous sunshine had made way for clouds swollen with snow. She had two more stops to make before heading back to the car, the first stop was to the coffee shop to buy a few bags of Nicole's favorite beans and the second stop was to the engravers that Waverly had just found after a quick google search. Pulling the scarf tight and zipping up her coat she pulled the large brass handle and made her way out of the store and south along the street towards both shops on her list. 

It had taken longer that she had expected to locate both shops, accomplish her task, grab a sandwich and head back to the parking garage. As she started the engine she pulled out her phone and began to compose a message.

Haught Stuff: We need to talk. What I have to say needs to be face to face and not via a text. Please meet me at the apartment after your shift...... I miss you X

She hit send. It was now 3.30pm and she knew she needed to make a move to make it back to Purgatory before Nicole's shift ended. Shutting the phone she placed it onto the passenger seat and reached into the pocket of her coat, the box was safe and sound. Turning the key in the ignition she slipped the Jeep into gear and headed up the exit ramp and out into the late Saturday afternoon traffic. 

=====

Nicole had been on patrol for little over three hours and her stomach growled angrily, in the rush to make it into work on time she had forgotten to make lunch and had been surviving solely on stolen doughnuts and coffee for the last few hours. It was coming up to 3.20pm and she was desperate for a sandwich and a coffee. As she pulled up next to her best friends Harley she scanned the area for signs of her fiance's Jeep, it was nowhere to be seen. Knowing that Wynonna would be in Shorty's she made her way past through the double swing doors and into the bar. Sure enough, Wynonna was sat at the bar with a bottle of beer and a shot of Bourbon.

"Hey, Haught. Drinkin' on the clock?' The heir wiggled her eyebrows as she raised the dark green bottle in the redhead's direction. 

"Ha, your bad habits have rubbed off on me yet, Earp." The Officer ordered herself a turkey Club and Cappuccino to go, removed her stetson and placed it on the bar as she pulled up a stool next to Wynonna. "I only came in for a quick Sandwich." The redhead cast her eye around the bar.

"Don't worry Haughtstuff. Wave's isn't here." 

"Oh, right." The officer sounded deflated but was also relieved. 

"You still haven't spoken?"

"No, what I have to say needs to be done face to face, not via a text." The Officer tapped on the bar with a beer mat that she had peeled apart as she waited for her order. 

"Well, I know you're gonna sort it out and you'll be throwing heart eyes at each other by last orders." Wynonna slapped the Officer back playfully.

With that, her phone pinged her pocket. As she slid her thumb across the home screen to unlock it she could see that it was a text message from Waverly and her heart skipped a beat. She had to ready the message over a few times as the only part that sank in straight away were the words "I miss you." 

"I'll take it by the look on your face that's a message from Wave's?" Wynonna took a draw from her bottle and raised an eyebrow at the Officer. 

"Yeah." The broad smile on the redhead's face brought out her dimples. "She wants to talk, that's a good sign right?" 

Wynonna nodded at the Officer as her take out order arrived. Nicole paid for her lunch, replaced her stetson and flashed a smile at her best friend before skipping out of the bar and back over to the station through the snow that was now falling more heavily that earlier.

The redhead knew that she didn't have long to wait until she would be able to sit down and talk to her fiance. There were so many things that she needed to say but for now, she needed to complete the last of her paperwork. Arriving at her desk she removed her hat and coat and hung them up, pulled her phone from her pocket and quickly typed out a reply to Waverly.

Waves: I agree. I'll be there. I miss you too. I love you, Waverly Earp XX

Hitting send the Officer placed her phone back in her pants pocket, pulled the sandwich from the brown bag and started on the tedious task of completing the seemingly endless paperwork whilst manning the front desk. The time flew by, there had been no walk-ins or calls over the wire, giving the redhead time to complete almost all of the outstanding admin. Nicole was grateful as she wanted to get out of the station and back home as soon as her shift ended. Spending time away from her fiance was never nice but after their argument, it felt like torture. 

The clock had just struck 5pm when Deputy Sherriff Rourke entered the station with a fresh cup of coffee and a cheery smile. He was always early for his shift, a trait Nicole tried to emulate. 

"Evening, Haught." His voice, although deep and powerful was soft and reassuring. He had been on the force for a long time and had taken a shine to the rookie officer as soon as she had joined the department.

"Evening, Sir." The redhead flashed him a dimpled smile as she began to gather up the now completed paperwork. She was happy to see him as it meant that it was getting close to quitting time and closer to seeing her fiance and patch things up. 

"Busy day?" He casually leaned against the countertop and took a sip from his coffee cup. 

"It's been steady, Nedley is out on a...." Just as she was about to continue she was interrupted by the sound of the dispatch operator's voice that crackled through the 2-way radio that sat on at the end of the counter top.

"We got reports of a Red Jeep Wrangler involved in an RTA out on Highway 81. Please respond...."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it. x


	12. It's an Earp thing.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello there, sorry for the delay in getting this out. Long story involving my internal organs having an argument with me, Kanye West and a trip to the hospital. 
> 
> I am sorry for any incorrect spellings and grammatical errors. 
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read it. Thanks for the Kudos and comments so far,I really appreciate your feedback.
> 
> Hope you like.

"We got reports of a Red Jeep Wrangler involved in an RTA out on Highway 81. Please respond...."

\------

The world began to slow as the words echoing from the two-way radio permeated the small office. The Officer's smile dropped along with the pile of freshly completed paperwork that she had been cradling to her chest as the words hit her ears. Manila folders skipped across the floor as their contents spilled out onto the well-worn carpet tiles. 

"That's Waverly's Car." The words were barely audible as she lunged from her seat behind the desk and towards to the receiver. However, Deputy Sheriff Rourke had beaten her to it. Seeing the look on the redhead's face he knew she would not be in the right frame of mind to deal with the incident. 

"Dispatch, This is Deputy Sheriff Rourke, I am on route." Rourke replaced the received into the cradle, deposited his now empty coffee cup into the trash and headed toward the dumbstruck officer.

"Copy that. Sheriff Nedley has also arrived on scene." The radio crackled but the words fell on deaf ears. 

"Officer Haught, You follow me in your cruiser okay? I understand that's your fiance's car but you need to keep calm and stay focused. You hear me?"

The words didn't register fully as she stood at the end of the desk still trying to process what was going on. 

"Haught?" His voice raised as he slapped his hand on the desk snapping the redhead from her stupor.

"Yes, Sir." She gave a nod and quickly exited the reception area, making her way into the dimly lit office to retrieved her coat and hat, and headed out into the cold.

The evening was bitter, the type of weather that chills you to the bone. All Nicole could think of was Waverly and how she didn't like to be cold. Her mind raced a mile a minute as she followed up behind Deputy Sheriff Rourke, the red and white lights from his roof danced on the fresh snow as hundreds of scenarios raced through the officers head. What if Waverly was seriously injured, What if she was dead? The unwanted thoughts continued to play as if on a constant loop as they approached Highway 81. It had taken longer than the Redhead would have liked but it was still snowing and in the back of her mind, she knew that she had to remain calm and collected. 

In the distance, the Officer could make out the familiar glow of a cruiser's emergency lights and the yellow spinning lights of a tow truck. As they approached Rourke slowed to a stop at the side of the highway. Slamming the cruiser into park behind the Deputy Sheriff, Nicole jumped out as quickly as possible and began to make her way through the snow and over to the commotion. Her eyes scanned every available space in search of Waverly without success. To the side of the road lay the Red Jeep Wrangler, the windscreen shattered, the front end crumpled and wrapped around a tree. 

Her hands instantly flew to her temples as she took stock of the scene that lay before her. She still had no clue where Waverly was and was beginning to panic. As she turned to make her way to the Officer that was already on the scene she was greeted by Sheriff Nedley making his way towards her. 

"Where is she? Where's Waverly?" Her eyes skipped back and forth between his and the surrounding area. 

"Now Nicole, Don't worry, she's gonna' be okay. The ambulance got here a few minutes after me and they took her to the hospital." An unsettling feeling began welling inside her as the aging Sheriff removed his hat and took her by the shoulder ushering her to his cruiser. "Now, you're in no fit state to drive so I will take you down there." Guiding her into the passenger seat of his cruiser her slowly closed the door and made his way over to Rourke who had cracked a few warning flares and was currently talking to the eyewitness that called in the accident. 

The vehicle, although almost identical to her own cruiser felt completely different. It smelled like Old Spice and stale coffee, the seat was well worn, the pigmented vinyl steering wheel was cracked and pens poked out of the air vents. She sat for what felt like forever whilst she waited for Nedley to dish out his orders, all the while thoughts plagued her mind. The car was a wreck, how could anyone escape without serious injury. 

As she sat in the cold the realisation that her fiance was injured and alone hit her square in the chest. Without warning, tears started to fall staining her fawn uniform trousers with small dark spots. As Nedley approached the vehicle she quickly wiped the tears from her face with the cuff of her coat and tried to clear her throat in a bid to regain her composure. Slipping into the cruiser, the Sheriff closed the door put the key in the ignition and fired up the engine. Turning to the Officer he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. 

"Don't worry. It's clean." He said with a chuckle as he slipped the cruiser into gear and peeled off the side of the highway, lights blazing. 

"Thank you, Sir." The Officer didn't often cry and especially not in front of her boss but she couldn't help it, the tears fell of their own volition.

Dropping his hand from the wheel he placed it on top of the Officers and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Nicole, I have seen Waverly fight off a drunk Quater back built like a barn door with her bare hands." The redhead gaze dropped to her lap at the mention of Waverly's name. "She's tough, It's an Earp thing. She's gonna be okay." Removing his hand he placed it back on the wheel as Nicole silently stared out of the window at the snowflakes illuminated by the headlights. It was almost hypnotic as she focused her eyes on one snowflake at a time as it came towards to windscreen and bounced off the glass. Her gaze broken every now and again by the wipers.

The drive to the hospital seemed to take forever and Nicole couldn't help but fidget in her seat as they grew closer. The tears had subsided and the heating had managed to warm her up just as they pulled up to the entrance of the Emergency room. Cutting the engine both the Officer and the Sheriff exited the vehicle and made their way swiftly through the double entrance doors and directly over to the Nurses station. There was no immediate sign of Waverly and the Officer began pacing impatiently as she waited for the Nurse to finish her telephone conversation. 

Sensing the Officer's restlessness the rotund blond Nurse finished the exchange, replacing the handset she threw her gaze towards the Redhead and flashed a genuine smile. 

"How can I help Officer?" Her voice was high yet soft. 

"Hi, Yes, erm my Fiance was brought in earlier after an RTA. Her name's Earp, Waverly Earp." Nicole tapped on the Formica countertop with the tip of her pointer finger as the Nurse searched through the records on her computer

"Earp, Right, well she is currently in surgery. Please follow me, I will take you to the family room. You can wait in there it's a lot more comfortable." For the second time that evening Nicole's world seemed to slow at the mention of her fiance being in surgery. 

Feeling the hand on her shoulder she began to follow the nurse as she led the pair down the corridor and into a small room that housed two small matching armchairs and a large brown leather sofa separated by a round coffee table strewn with well-thumbed magazines.

"Please make yourselves comfy. Once the surgeon has finished I will ask her to come speak to you."


	13. ...and all that jazz.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey there, how are you? 
> 
> I have finally managed to get off my arse and finish this chapter. Should have had it done on Thursday but Rogue One happened. Sorry for the delay. I hope you like. I am sorry for any spelling and grammatical errors. 
> 
> Thanks, as always for your eyeballs and taking the time out of your day to read this. I appreciate all the kudos and the feedback you guys have given to me. Bigs thumb's up for that. 
> 
> Feel free to hit me up on Tumblr thegreatandpowerlesssticks we can talk shite about season 2!

Nedley ushered Nicole towards the large sofa as the Nurse left. He removed his hat and deposited it onto the nearest armchair and headed back out of the room into the hallway and out towards the entrance of the hospital; leaving the redhead alone in the small family room. 

The room was away from the hubbub of the emergency room. It was warm and the smell of vanilla permeated the small space whilst the muted TV played to nobody in particular. 

The Officer had taken a seat in the centre of the large brown leather sofa and was staring down at her mud-covered boots, trying to remember how to breathe. The adrenaline that had been coursing through her veins had abated as millions of scenes danced around her head and the more her mind wandered the tighter her chest became. Tension began to grow in her limbs as her imagination accelerated whilst her heart hammered inside her chest. 

It had been just over an hour and a half since the initial call came in. This is not how she expected the evening to go. She should be at home with her fiance making amends. The tears that she had been desperately holding back since entering the hospital slowly began to spill, rolling over her cold cheeks and falling onto the soiled boots. She sat rooted to the spot, head in hands replying their last encounter over and over again, wondering if their last words said to each other would be words of anger. 

"Nicole?" Nedley's voice was warm and soft as he placed his hand upon her shoulder and it snapped the officer from her unwanted daydreaming spell and back into the present nightmare. 

She wiped away the unabating tears with the handkerchief that the Sherrif had handed to her earlier and brought her lugubrious eyes up to meet his gaze where she was met with a reassuring fatherly smile.

"Here you go." He placed a cup of coffee down on the table and took a seat next to the deputy switching of the radio holstered to her utility belt as he did. "I called Gus. She and Wynonna are on their way over here. Should be here real soon."

"Thanks, Sherrif." Her voice wavered as she spoke, removing her stetson she placed it on the coffee table in front of her and released a pent up sigh. Reaching over the redhead lifted the styrofoam cup to her lips and took a sip of the steaming hot liquid. Almost immediately, the tension that had built in her limbs began to fade as she continued to down the liquid.

She had no idea how long she had been sat there, alone in the room, it had felt like an eternity but in reality, it couldn't have been any longer than 10 minutes or so. 

"Sherrif?" She hadn't spoken for a few minutes and the words came out a little louder than she had anticipated.

"Yes, Haught" Nedley shifted in his seat to face his visibly shaken deputy.

"I'm scared." The redhead's chin wobbled as she whispered her confession and her eye's dropped to the floor. 

Nedley didn't cope well with situations such as this. However, without hesitation, he reached out and pulled the Officer into a bracing hug rocking slightly as Nicole gripped his coat and sobbed.

"Shh, Shh now, It's okay. It's going to be okay Nicole. Waverly's going to be okay." The Sherrif continued to rock from side to side as the sounds of heavy footfall echoed down the hallway. They could hear her before either of them could see her. 

Wynonna rushed over the threshold clearly upset and into the room causing the pair to separate, quickly followed by Gus and Doc. Nedley stood up and took the now empty coffee cup over to the trash, grabbing his hat from the armchair as he passed, leaving the path to the Deputy clear for Wynonna. Her eyes fell on the couch and to the Officer's desolate dark eyes. 

"Nicole." The elder Earp dropped onto the sofa and pulled the redhead into a heartfelt embrace as Gus and Doc stopped to question Nedley.

"What happened?" Wynonna whispered softly as the Officer buried her head into her soon to be sister in laws neck. She had never seen Nicole this upset, not after everything they had been through and it frightened her. Nicole remained silent as Gus made her way around the table to the empty space the other side the Officer and sat down. 

Turning the Sherrif for answers, Wynonna could see that he was clutching his radio and heading out of the door into the hallway, closely followed by Doc. Nicole pulled away from the solace she sought in the arms of the elder Earp and took a deep breath in a bid to push down her emotions and ground herself. 

"Waverly has been involved in an RTA out on Highway 81." Her voice quivered as she spoke. "Erm...We got the call just after 5 pm and I headed out with Rourke. Nedley was on the scene when we arrived and Waverly had already been taken to the Hospital." She took another deep breath and wiped away the few tears that had managed to escape. "She is in surgery at the minute but thats all we know."

Noticing the sodden handkerchief the redhead clutched in her hand, Gus instinctively pulled open her bag and handed the Officer a fresh packet of tissues.

"Thank you." Nicole reached down and placed her hand on top of Gus's giving it a reassuring squeeze as the tears welled in the elder woman's eyes, pulling a tissue from the packet she handed it to Gus. 

"Do you think this had to do with the Rev heads? Wynonna's voice was low but caustic as she wiped a solitary tear from her cheek. "I swear to fuckin' God..."

Doc reappeared balancing four of the familiar styrofoam cups in his hands. His moustache twitching as he tried not to spill their contents.

"I am not sure. Deputy Sherrif Rourke was taking a statement from the eyewitness who called it in. I didn't see anything that jumped out at me but I was too busy looking for Waverly."

"Well Ladies, I do believe that Ms Earp is in the best of hands." Doc crouched down in front of the coffee table and placed the two cups down, removing the two cups balanced on top and handing them to Gus and Nicole. "The Sherrif is talking to the the curly wire box to find out some more information." He gestured with his thumb over his shoulder and towards to hallway where Nedley was talking in a hushed voice into his radio. Taking his cup, he took a step back and lowered himself onto the armchair. Removing the lid of his coffee, he reached into his waistcoat and withdrew his hipflask. 

"Hold up, Cowboy." Gus waggled her finger in the direction of the gunslinger and snatched the canteen from his hand, decanting a slug of the fiery contents into her cup before taking a swig. Handing the flask to Nicole the officer did the same, feeling the burn in her throat as she did so.

"Shit Haught, save some for the rest of us." Wynonna gave a playful smack to the Officer's shoulder before pouring a slug into her coffee leaving the flask almost empty, handing it back to the Cowboy she shot him an apologetic grin. 

They sat in silence as the subtitles danced across the TV screen. Doc although acclimatising to the modern world was awestruck and his eyes scanned every word that popped up. Nicole was always amused by the small things that Doc found fascinating. She knew he was dying to ask how the TV knew what was being said and she made a mental note to explain to him once they were out of their current predicament. 

The hour hand on the clock hovered between 7 and 8 as the minute hand approached quarter to the hour. Wynonna had shifted from her seat and was pacing back and forth occasionally popping her head through the doorway and into the corridor. She had been at it for almost 20 minutes. 

"Wynonna, will you please stop. Your gonna wear a hole in the carpet and you're making me dizzy with all your toing and froing."Gus snapped causing Wynonna to stop in her tracks. Holding up her hands in surrender she slid over to the empty armchair next to Doc and threw herself into it placing her boots onto the coffee table. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to snap." Gus leant forward and patted the elder Earps leg.

"It's okay. A watched pot and all that jazz.." Wynonna threw her head back to look up directly at the ceiling as Nedley reentered the room with Deputy Sherrif Rourke in tow. 

Nicole jumped from her chair as the two Officer's entered. Rourke held Waverly's bag in his hand with her coat draped over his arm. 

"Hey, Haught," Rourke gave the redhead a one armed hug and looked around the room giving nods of acknowledgement, "Gus, Wynonna, John Henry. How are you holding up?" He handed over the bag and coat to the Deputy and pulled out his notebook.

"Yea, Yea we're good thanks, Sir." The deputy stepped back and perched on the arm of the sofa eager to hear what he had to say. "What did you manage to find out?" 

All eyes in the room fell to the Deputy Sherrif as he flipped open the book and began tapping his pen against the page stained with ink. 

"Well, the eyewitness didn't actually see the incident but he did confirm that there was a gang of Elk a little further up the road as he approached. No other vehicles involved." 

"Possible Waverly swerved to miss one and lost control." Nedley chimed is as he unfolded his arms and ran the pad of his thumb across the stubble on his chin. "We will know more when we get the green light from the Doctor and can speak to Waverly."

Rourke flipped the book shut and slipped it back into his jacket pocket as the Nurse reappeared followed by a tall doctor wearing dark blue scrubs. The nurse made her way back down the corridor towards the desk, Deputy Rourke and the Sheriff excused themselves and slid out of the room as the Doctor made her way over to the redhead. 

"Officer Haught?" She held out her hand in the Officer's direction giving a beaming smile as she did," Hi, I am Dr Johnstone. I performed Waverly's surgery." 

Nicole's heart flipped as she gripped the Doctors hand, standing up in the process. Wynonna sat up in her chair and Gus perched on the edge of the sofa desperate to hear how the brunette was doing. The officers had was shaking uncontrollably, the Doctor placed her free hand on Nicole's shoulder in a bid to calm her down. 

"Don't worry." She addressed the room. "Waverly is absolutely fine. She has a broken ankle that required surgery to realign the bones and fix them in position and she has a few minor cuts and bruises." 

The pent up tension in the room lifted immediately as the news broke. Nicole's eyes scanned over to Gus who's face was etched with a relieved smile and then to Wynonna who was now standing with her hand on Gus's shoulder. 

"She is going to be off her feet for a while but she will be back to normal before you know it."

"Can I see her?" The desperation in the Officer's voice was clear for everyone to hear. 

"Sure, she is still going to be a little groggy from the anaesthesia but that will pass. If you follow me I will take you to see her." 

Nicole turned back to Gus and Wynonna seeking permission to leave. 

"You go through Nicole. We will pop in shortly once you have had a chance to talk." Gus gave her a wink as the redhead quickly made her way out of the room, bag and coat firmly clutched in her hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS.......Merry Christmas ya filthy animal!


	14. "I know, Baby."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry this has taken a while. Who knew being a lazy sausage was so tiring! Anyway, I hope you like. 
> 
> As always, Thanks for the kudos and comments. I love getting your feedback, it makes my day.
> 
> I am sorry for any spelling and grammatical errors.

Nicole followed the doctor out of the family room and out into the corridor, Waverly's coat still tightly clutched in hand. Shards of glass from the shattered windshield had pierced the pale blue puffer and parts of the filling had begun to spill out of the torn material.

The smell of disinfectant assaulted the redhead's senses as they reentered the hallway, a stark contrast to the vanilla scent that permeated the comfort of the family room. The noise from the emergency room waiting area dimmed as they made their way through the large gray double doors and towards the sideward.

The Officer's footsteps echoed down the long narrow corridor reverberating off every surface as she continued to follow the doctor to the recovery room located at the end of the hallway. Her heart raced in her chest, beating in sync with the heavy stomps of her feet. 

"Here she is." The doctor gestured towards the door that was slightly ajar. "Remember, when she wakes she's going to be groggy from the anesthetic and the pain meds," she placed a reassuring hand on the Officers shoulder giving it a gentle squeeze, "but she's going to be fine."

"Thank you so much, Doctor Johnstone." Nicole shifted the jacket into her left hand and reached out to shake the Doctors. 

Doctor Johnstone gave a wide smile and headed off back in the direction from which she came, leaving the Officer alone in the corridor. Taking a deep breath the redhead slowly pushed the door fully open to reveal the room that lay behind it. It was dimly lit with two beds lying adjacent to each other, divided by a pale green curtain. The light from the side lamp was enough to illuminate the area closest to the entrance, casting a warm glow over her sleeping fiance. 

Nicole quietly closed the door and crossed the room in seconds to be beside Waverly. Standing at the side of the bed the redhead took stock of the situation. She had planned on spending the evening with her fiance but this was as far from what she had imagined as possible. 

The brunettes right leg was elevated, wrapped in bandages and clad in a protective boot. She was hooked up to drip, had dried blood in her hair and the early onset of a nasty looking black eye graced her cheek. Small knicks peppered the brunette's face were the glass from the windshield had pierced her skin and a row of neat butterfly stitches lay just above her right eyebrow.

Nicole removed her hat and placed it on the table that sat at the foot of the bed. Tears pricked at her eyes as she drank in the sight of her injured wife to be. The Officer's first instinct was to wake up the sleeping Earp to let her know she wasn't on her own but she knew that she really needed to let her rest. It was evident from the scene in front of the Deputy that Waverly had been through enough for one day, the last thing the brunette needed to deal with was the redhead's apologies. 

Nicole pulled up the well-worn hard navy plastic chair that had been sat in the corner of the room, draping the tattered and torn puffer on the back and took a seat. She knew at that very moment that in the grand scheme of things their argument had been stupid, she knew that Waverly hadn't meant to say what she did and she knew that she was the luckiest person in the world to have such an amazing fiance. 

Taking her fiance's hand in her own she lifted it up as gently as possible, placed it to her cheek and closed her eyes. The warmth of Waverly's skin against her own instantly made her feel a little more at ease. The room remained still, the only noise, the rhythmic breaths of the sleeping patient. 

"Hey Waves, I'm here baby," Nicole whispered into the silence, eyes still closed. Planting a kiss on her fiance's knuckles the Officer placed the bruised hand back at her partner's side and leaned forward resting her forehead on the bed, all the while never letting go of her fiance. 

Nicole's leg unconsciously bounced, it did this whenever she was nervous. Lifting her head from the bed as she heard footsteps from the corridor she glanced around just as Wynonna opened the door.

"Hey, Haughtstuff. You okay?" The elder Earp made her way into the room, placed a fresh cup of coffee on the tall bedside cabinet and gave the Officer a playful punch on the arm as she made her way over to her baby sister and placed a gentle kiss on her head. Gus followed behind her whilst Doc lurked in the entrance, unsure whether to enter or not. The deputy nodded as her eyes moved from Wynonna to Gus.

The older woman looked like she had had the wind knocked from her sails and the Officer was worried. 

"Here you go Gus, have a seat." Nicole got up from her perch and gestured towards the hard moth-eaten seat. 

"Thanks, Darlin'. I won't stay long, just wanted to pop in and see how she's fairing up." The colour in her cheeks began to return as she held onto her niece's hand. "Doc said he'll run me back to the bar, and I don't want to keep the gentleman waiting."

Nicole looked over at the gunslinger who was stood leaning up against the doorjamb, hat in hand and gave him an appreciative nod. 

"Hey Haught," the officer turned to look at Wynonna, finding she had made her way over to the vacant bed and taken up residence. "Nedley said he has covered your shifts for the next few days. Just give him a call in the morning to give him an update."

"Is he still around?" Her voice was still a whisper as she reached for the cup of coffee.

"No, he headed back to the station with Rourke." Wynonna swung her legs up onto the bed, adjusted the pillow and closed her eyes. 

"Right Ladies, now I know my Niece is okay I'm gonna shoot off and leave her in your safe hands." Gus stood up causing the metal legs of the chair to scrape across the vinyl flooring. Leaning down she grabbed her bag and headed toward the Officer, pulling her into a tight embrace. "I'll be back here first thing okay?."

" Thanks, Gus. I'll let Waves know." Nicole reciprocated the squeeze and held onto Gus a little while longer. Wynonna leaned up on her elbow and cast her eye over her best friend and her Aunt.

Pulling away the older woman shot Wynonna a wink and turned on her heels towards the doorway. "Now Doc, are you sure you're okay with driving me back?"

"Why, of course, Ms. McCreedy. Right, this way." Affixing his hat the cowboy's moustache twitched as he pushed off the door frame and gestured toward the exit. 

Gus gave a final glance at the three ladies before linking the gunslinger's arm, Doc tipped his hat and the pair proceeded down the hallway leaving the sleeping Earp with the Officer and the Heir. 

\----

Nicole had been sat hunkered over the bed for what felt like hours in the hard plastic chair beside Waverly. The hour hand on the clock was approaching 11 pm, Wynonna had fallen asleep not long after Gus and Doc had left, leaving the Officer to watch over her fiance. Waverly hadn't stirred once. 

A small curly-haired nurse entered the room, gave the Officer a smile, checked on the patient's vitals and left. It had been hours since the redhead had moved and her body ached. Sitting up, the Deputy stretched, letting out a guttural growl of satisfaction as the tense muscles in her back and shoulders released from their tight state. 

The noise that escaped from Nicole roused the Heir from her slumber causing her to flip onto her side. 

"Hey, Haughtstuff. Wanna swap places?" Wynonna leaned up onto her elbow, resting her head in her hand. Nicole stifled a yawn, although tired she did not want to leave Waverly's side. 

"Nah, I am good right here thanks." The officer scooched forward in her seat and took hold of her fiance's hand, running her thumb along the soft skin. Her eyes fixed on the rise and fall of the brunette's chest.

"How are you holding up Haught?" Wynonna's voice dropped as she eyed the deputy.

"Me? I'm Fine." Nicoles' eyes dropped to the floor. 

"Hey," Wynonna sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed causing the Officer to look up and met her gaze. "You can't bull shit a bull shitter you ass." she raised her eyebrow as the Officer fidgeted in her seat. 

"Truth? I have never been as scared in all my life as I was when that call came over the wire. Not even when that revenant held a gun to my head." The redhead's chin wobbled as she placed her hands to her temples, rubbing circles in a rhythmic pattern. 

"Hey dude, It's okay to get scared." Nicole gave threw the Heir a quizzical stare. "I just hide it better than most people, and the booze helps." 

"I'm scared that I've pushed her away." The redhead continued to knead at the sides of her head. "It was my fault, the argument. I have been a little er, overprotective lately. Waves was right to be pissed."

"Dude, you haven't pushed her away. And, I know she was pissed but that was more with herself than you." Wynonna swung her legs back and forth as she perched on the edge of the bed. "I'm no expert, but Gus always said that communication is the key to a successful relationship. Maybe you two just need to sit down and talk things through instead of letting things build up."

"You're right. I was in the wrong and acting like a dickhead, I wouldn't listen when she was trying to get her point across." 

"Hey, I know Waves and she's as stubborn as an ass, It's an Earp thing. Point is, you're probably both in the wrong. You just need to see things from each other's point of view." Wynonna began shaking her head "Jesus Fuckin' Christ, listen to me, I sound like I actually know what I am talking about."

"Yeah, you actually do." Nicole let out a chuckle as the elder Earp hopped down from the bed. "Thanks, Wynonna."

"Any time Haught, anytime." The Earp patted the officer on the shoulder as she made her way to the door. "I need some coffee, you want one?"

"Yes, please." Nicole threw a grateful smile in the Earps direction and watched as she rounded the corner and out of sight. 

The yawn she had stifled came back with full force. Hunching forward she placed her head on the bed next to Waverly's hand and closed her eyes. The room was silent as she took a deep breath matching the rhythmic breathing of her fiance. 

"I'm exhausted." The words escaped her lips barely above a whisper as the officer began to drift off. 

Without warning, the Officer felt a soft hand run across her cheek.

"I know, Baby."


	15. Anytime Haught

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all too much for Officer Dimples.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey,
> 
> I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to post this. I have been working non-stop for the last few weeks.
> 
> Sorry that this is a bit short, kinda lost my train of thought with this for a while but hopefully, I will be back on track asap.
> 
> As always I am super happy that you have taken the time to read this and I am extremely grateful for all the kudos and the comments. 
> 
> Sorry for the spelling and grammatical errors. 
> 
> Hope you like. If not let me know.

Her voice was low, ragged, raspy and it took a few seconds for Nicole to process what was happening as Waverly continued to stroke the auburn locks that had fallen from their tight restraints, the brunette's eyes remained closed, her breathing still steady.

In a split second the redhead had shifted from the hard plastic seat grabbing her fiance's hand as she stood, the legs of the chair scraping across the floor causing the zip of the puffer jacket to lightly tap against the bare metal frame as it slid backwards.

"Hey, Baby." The officer leant down and placed a gentle kiss on the brunette's forehead, smoothing away the escaped strands of honey brown hair from her face. 

"You had me worried there for a minute there Earp."

"Nicole?" The brunette whispered, opening her eyes and allowing them to adjust to the surroundings, all the while squeezing the deputy's hand. "I'm sorry. I'm so sor-" 

"Hey, Shh Baby. You have nothing to be sorry for." The officer shifted her weight and brought her head up to cradle the patient close to her chest. Fragile limbs clung to her forearm in a desperate bid for the much-needed contact to remain as she placed soft kisses to her lover's temple. All the while taking care not to bump the cannula in the brunette's wrist that was attached to the IV bag hanging from the hook at the top of the bed. 

The tension that the Officer had been carrying across her shoulders and back dissipated as relief washed over her tired body and Waverly relaxed, safe in her fiance's embrace. 

"Nic, I'm sorry for-" The words slurred and sleepily slipped from her lips before she was cut off.

"Shh, Just rest Baby, Okay. You need to rest." The redhead held on, carefully, slowly, rhythmically rubbing the pad of her thumb across Waverly's cheek as she slipped back off to sleep.

Once the redhead knew that Waverly has fallen into a deep sleep the panic that had been building for the majority of the evening, that she had so far managed to push down, to keep a lid on began to bubble up and spill out. 

Gently unfurling herself from the brunette the realisation of the day's events hit her square in the chest and she began to pace, she began to tremble, she began to spiral into something familiar, something she hadn't experienced for a long long time. Just as the room began to spin, as she reached out for the chair she has pushed away earlier the darkness crept in. Starting in her peripheral vision the blackness encroached, the need to escape the room, to find air becoming ever greater. 

As she felt herself beginning to stumble, to begin falling towards the linoleum flooring strong arms wrapped around her like a vice and slowly pulled her close, stopping her from tumbling to the ground and instead the pair stumble into the small bathroom.

"I got you." Wynonna's strong arms cradle the Officer as she slowly lowered her down onto the closed toilet seat. "You're Okay Haughtstuff." 

The officer was unable to stop her body from shaking, her breathing was erratic and the short strands of her braid stuck to the thin sheen of sweat that had formed on her forehead.

Wynonna had been in this situation before, right after her sister and father had been taken from her, when the sideways glances and indiscreet whispers from the townsfolk got too much. So she thinks back to all the times Gus held her as a child, cradled her when she spiralled into a panic, as she whispered words of love and reassurance into her ear and so she begins to replicate it. 

"You're Okay, Nicole. Just breath. I got you." Her voice is low and soothing as she kneels in front of the officer, placing both hands on her knees, ensuring that she never breaks eye contact and Nicole does exactly as she is told, copying the steady in and out breaths of the Heir. "I got you."

It took a while but her breathing becomes less erratic, her heartbeat begins to regulate, the urge to run dissipates but then comes the tears and they appear in full force. 

"It's Okay, Nicole. Just let it out." Her voice still low, soft and full of reassurance. Taking a look around the small room she noticed the paper hand towels next to the sink and handed a bunch to the tearful deputy. 

It had been a long time since she had had a panic attack, they started right after her Mum passed away. She thought she was coping well, dealing with the grief in her own way, managing the immense pain that ripped her in two but like a bolt from the blue it happened. 

"Fuck.....Sorry, Wynonna." Were the only words the redhead could choke out in between the sobs. 

"Nicole, you have nothing to be sorry about." Wynonna continued the rhythmic breathing, continued the steady circles she had been rubbing on the redhead's knees. "You wanna talk about it? It's okay if you're not. If you're not ready."

Nicoles breath evened out as she met the blue-eyed gaze from her soon to be sister in law and brick by brick the walls that she had built up around her slowly began to fall exposing her vulnerability

"I was so scared, Wynonna." The redhead dabbed at her eyes with the paper towel she had scrunched up in her hand, taking a deep breath into steady herself. 

"I love her so so much and I..........I was so scared that I fucked things up between us, then the accident and I was terrified that something could have taken her away from me." Blinking away the tears she swallowed audibly as her eyes diverted to look at the grey flooring. "I feel so stupid." 

"Hey, Haught, look at me." The heir's tone shifted from soft to authoritative and was now just above a whisper as Nicole shifted her eyes up to meet the Earps. "You're not stupid, you hear? You've had a crazy ass day, you're exhausted." Standing up from her crouched position the Brunette placed a soft kiss on the top of the Deputy's head. "You are not stupid. You're the best thing to have happened to my sister and I am so proud to call you my sister too...Now, wait here. I'll back in a minute."

Nicole remained sat on the closed toilet seat in the small dim bathroom, the tears had stopped but the ragged breaths after the sobs still remained. Her head throbbed and her eyes stung, standing up the officer threw the used balled up paper towels into the trash and washed away the salty residue from her cheeks, the cold water was a welcomed relief. 

Wynonna made her way back into the small space as the redhead finished drying her face. Grabbing her had she silently led her back into the hospital room, back to Waverly, to where she had pushed up the empty bed up to the sleeping brunettes to enable the officer to sleep as close to her fiance as possible without climbing into the same bed.

"Get your top shelf ass up onto the bed Haught. Get some sleep, Okay?"

Gently Nicole slipped up onto the bed as the elder Earp unlaced her boots. Rolling onto her side the officer leant over and placed a soft kiss to her fiance's head before rolling onto her stomach and taking a hold of Waverly's hand. 

The exhaustion was too much for officers tried body to stave off any longer and before she knew it the heavy eyelids she had been fighting to keep open had shut. 

Wynonna just stood looking at the scene in front of her. Thinking of how much her life had changed in the last couple of years, changed for the better. Thinking of how glad she was that she was here with her sister and not halfway around the world alone, thinking of how glad her best friend was also going to become her sister in law. She slowly turned and silently padded towards the door when she heard the low almost whisper.

"Thank you, Wynonna." Nicole's voice was muffled by the pillow her face was buried in.

"Anytime Haught, Anytime."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoping for the next update to be up at the end of March as I am heading to the US of A for a few weeks to celebrate getting older.


End file.
